A Practical Guide To Sustainable Living — #OnlyOneEarth

The best way to teach is by doing. And when it’s about encouraging kids to adopt a sustainable way of living, doing it ourselves is the first step. This year’s World Environment Day theme is ‘Only One Earth’. The prominent call to action here is to make sustainability the default option and not a lifestyle choice.

Yes, it is tempting to say that environment-conscious actions or Earth Actions are to be taken by Governments, Institutions & Corporates to curb the large scale waste reduction and choose energy-efficient options. But, as a family and a society or even as an individual we can MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Sustainable choices taken as an individual when put together have the power to reshape societies and drive transformative change.

Here’s a Practical Guide published for World Environment Day 2022 to make sustainability a way of life.

• BEYOND BUYING — Think about what you really need and cut back the amount of stuff that you buy — and throw away. Choose items that are made to last and that can then be recycled or repurposed. Maybe you can find what you need second hand.
• CHOOSE NATURAL — Buy products that support ecosystems and local communities, such as sustainable wood.
• FASHION SLOW DOWN — Buy fewer and better clothes that you still like even when they show their age. Stay away from fast fashion that is mass-produced at the cost of the environment and labour standards in poorer countries. Fashion is cyclical — create your own style with quality used clothes from decades ago!
• DITCH DISPOSABLES — Refuse everyday products that cannot be reused, such as plastic cups and cutlery, plastic and paper bags, batteries and sanitary products. There is nearly always a sustainable alternative! Take the Clean Seas to pledge to reduce your plastic footprint.
• GO CLEANER — Swap to environmentally friendlier options like electric vehicles and cleaner fuels, and reduce your overall kilometre count, for instance by limiting weekend trips to local areas, or holiday close to home.
• ​​GROW YOUR OWN — Growing your own food not only saves you money. It also reduces the transport, packaging, and waste of food. Nurturing the plants in your yard or on your balcony can even improve your mental well-being.

These are simple, doable choices that will impact your child’s and your family’s outlook toward sustainability and make it a default option. Start one day, and continue until it becomes a habit — the next generation will thank you for it!

Celebrate World Environment Day 2022 with compelling earth actions taken all year round. After all, we have #OnlyOne Earth and we are all in this together.

Source: #OnlyOneEarth