Living a more sustainable lifestyle is a choice that more and more youngsters are adopting. Indeed, all of the choices and actions we take affect our environment and our planet, therefore it is our responsibility as earthlings to live more sustainably and to reduce our carbon footprint. But what can we practically do to live more sustainably? Why are more and more people are deciding to adopt this lifestyle?
A planet in danger
In 2019, we’ve reached a record for high temperatures across the UK with unprecedented heat, but we’ve also witnessed terrible fires in Australia and the Amazon. We have noticed a real difference as well in the seasons with the global temperate rising every year, decreasing dramatically the snow cover in the northern hemisphere, but also a sea level rising about 8 inches in the last century. There is scientific evidence for climate change that can not be refuted. With the rise of the “generation Greta”, more and more children and teenagers are rising to fight back.
So, what can we do?
Not everybody has the courage to go and gather in the streets for climate change protests, however there are numerous things that you can apply to your life. For example, we find that more and more people are adopting a plant based lifestyle and even growing their own fruits and vegetables using the help of some companies such as Premier Polytunnels to build a sustainable garden with greenhouses, cloches and polytunnels. Additionally, we notice people going plastic free; adopting reusable bags and ditching single-use water bottles, straws and more.
Moreover, there is a rise in people deciding not to drive and instead use a bicycle, choosing to carpool or use public transportation as much as possible instead. If you have no choice but to drive, you could invest in an electric car. We also find more and more people engaging in politics and using their vote as their voice. The only way to really see change within your community is to vote for candidates with strong environmental views, sometimes just sharing their programs or attending some events can make a big difference.
A controversial idea that we hear more and more is to choose to have a smaller family. After all, we are the cause of the climate change so it’s only logical to reduce the number of humans inhabiting the planet. However, it’s still a touchy subject that brings questions of family planning, one-child policy, abortions or sterilization.
To summarise, climate change is one of the biggest threats that humanity has to face today. Realistically, there are a lot of things that we can do on a smaller scale, we see more and more action in the younger generations to turn things around.