Green Matters - Green Living: A Comprehensive Guide to a Happy and Sustainable Life

A Comprehensive Guide to a Happy and Sustainable Life

H eadlines about the numerous ecological crises the world is suffering are all too common nowadays. They can seem alarmist and are frequently dismissed as such by governments and corporations that are resistant to change. Even the media outlets that write these stories are sometimes accused of propagandizing by their competitors. Given the climate of fear in the world and the overwhelming nature of the problems that spark such headlines, our instinct is to turn away from the clamor and only tend to our own lives. But the truth is that by making manageable changes to our everyday lives, we can have a big impact on the direction the world is heading.

The truth is that disaster headlines are part of our own lives. Even though we may not live in an area ravaged by fires or air made toxic by water pollution, we can see the evidence of environmental breakdown on our own shores. Hurricanes and tornadoes are becoming more frequent and much more powerful; our national forests are falling to wildfires and disease problems; the Midwest is experiencing increasingly devastating flooding while California has been in a severe drought for over a decade.

The planet is getting smaller, not bigger, in a sense. The consequences of unbridled production and consumption are no longer someone elses problem. Coal-fired production plants pollute the air worldwide. Single-use plastic cups, bottles, and straws of tourists from around the globe are trashing the beaches and reefs of the islands they go to see. Emissions from industrialized nations are causing acid rain and water pollution for themselves, their neighbors, and countries half a world away.

Dont Lose Hope!

The news is grim indeed, but while the biggest changes will have to come from the governments of the world, it is possible for each of us to make changes in our own lives that can have a meaningful impact on these formidable problems. We can each make meaningful change, but no single person can solve the climate crisis. Were going to need to work with corporations and oil companies to solve this disaster. And while some people share more of the blame than others for our current predicament, it is only through solidarity that well be able to solve this problem.

Our website, Green Matters, is for people looking to live more sustainably, fight the climate crisis, and learn about environmental justice. Our coverage brings awareness to issues surrounding the climate crisisas well as solutions. Our mission in this book is to make being green easy and accessible for all. We want to show you what to change in your own life that can make a real difference. The changes we as individuals can make are cumulative small acts that have profound impacts when enough people do them.

DEFINE YOUR TERMS

Ecological footprint: The amount of land required to sustain the natural resources needed to support a single individual is called your ecological footprint. This matters because world resources are finite; we cannot create more land. Right now, 2.75 hectares (about 6.8 acres) of land is needed to support each person. However, the Earths biocapacity (the maximum amount of biological production and renewal that a given area can sustain) is just 1.63 hectares (4 acres) per person. In other words, each of us is consuming 84 percent more resources than the world can provide. Clearly, this rate of consumption is not sustainable for ourselves or for future generations.

In each chapter, well detail different environmental issues and what you can do to help manage them. At the end of each chapter, well sum up the small, medium, and large steps you can take to help adjust your lifestyle to one that is greener, that is, better for the environment and for sustaining life on Earth. (Youll find more in-depth explanations of how each step is categorized on the following page.) We hope to inspire you to make simple changes to your daily habits and lifestyle, and also to empower you to fight for what you believe in. We believe that many small actions can collectively make a big difference in ensuring a healthy planet for generations to come.

Any change you make to live a greener life helps make the world a cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful place for all of its inhabitants. The best thing we can all do is learn, try, and never give up hope.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

T hese words get tossed around a lot when it comes to living green, and with good reason! These three steps by themselves could have a profound effect on the way the world looksif everybody would do them. Of course, we all need basic self-maintenance products, which vary from person to person and place to place. If youre new to being green, start small. You dont have to be perfect at all three steps to be good at being green when you start out.

Actions You Can Take

Have you ever bought so much stuff that you were forced to buy boxes, bins, and bags to store the stuff inthen had to buy shelves to stack the boxes and bins on? Though saving items for times of scarcity can be helpful, we often simply do not need to have backup provisions for our backups. This scarcity mind-set is an example of consumerism gone wild, and our economy is one that especially encourages overconsumption. Nobody will ever forget the mad rush for toilet paper during the pandemic, as if it would never be produced again! The best way to reduce the amount that goes into the landfill is to decrease the demand for it.