What is Sustainable Living and 
How Can You Contribute? 

Sustainability is a word we are all becoming more familiar with, especially as climate change seems to be making an early entrance and global warming will be changing the way we live in the not too distant future. It describes a lifestyle that will allow us to meet our needs without destroying ecosystems and destabilizing the planet any further. Enough damage has been done. Some of it is irreversible. 

To create a sustainable lifestyle we must reduce society’s consumption of our planet’s resources. We must change the way we do things so that our production and activities will promote sustainability. This means that there are things that we must stop doing as well as things we must start doing. 

To put it simply, sustainable living means putting into practice activities that minimize our carbon footprints by reducing demand for natural resources. This means making sure that we replace what we use to the best of our ability. Recycle, reuse, and reduce. Although the contribution of one makes a difference, we are now at a place where all of society must make changes if we are going to turn things around.  

Sustainable living means reducing society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources and our own personal resources.

Here are some ideas of how you can contribute to sustainable living on our planet: 

• Put on an extra layer of clothing instead of turning on the heat. 
• Open blinds and use as much natural light as possible before switching on your lights. 
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Hang wet clothes on a clothesline or rack instead of using the dryer.
• Hand wash your clothes, especially if you only have a few items.
• Time your showers. 
• Grow your own fruits and vegetables even if it’s just a few. 
• Use organic fertilizer.
• Purchase recycled toilet paper with plastic-free packaging.

All it Takes is One

In an effort to protect the environment in Zambia in 2016, Aziz Patel set out to find a better way to brew a single cup of coffee using fewer resources. The Barista Cup is capable of brewing a single cup of a perfectly smooth tasting coffee while using fewer coffee grounds, and resources to protect and preserve our environment. Learn more here: https://www.thebaristacup.com