There are so many ways in which we as individuals in the population can make a difference to sustainable development. Although most of these are pretty simple tasks like not leaving anything on standby and taking a shower rather than a bath, not everyone sees that it’s the little things that make a huge difference to the planet over time.
There are many things individuals can do these include;
Recycling
In many areas this has been made very easy now-a-days with little thinking involved as the different boxes are clearly labelled. For example in University Halls here there is blue bin for tins and plastics, a green bin for paper and cardboard, a red bag for glass and a red bin for normal (non-recyclable) products.
Back home in Sussex we have black boxes and bags for the different recyclable materials and again these are clearly labelled. The boxes are collected by the County Council straight from the door fortnightly which is the perfect length of time as they don’t over fill. Therefore there is no excuse really for people not to recycle as it’s so easy.
Linked to recycling is the idea of re-using products like plastic bags. This can help lower the amount of plastics manufactured. Tesco even offer rewards “green points” for its customers as an incentive to reuse bags therefore helping to make a difference to sustainable development.
Lower Car Usage
Possibly one of the things we are most guilty of is making unnecessary car journeys, sending an excess of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Short trips are one of the worst polluters and are mostly the unnecessary ones. However if you are in a situation where you need a car then you could always drive in an environmentally friendly fashion such as using the highest gear as soon as possible.
Alternatively people could ditch there cars altogether (or 99% of time) and use public transport, which in many areas is easier, quicker and sometimes more economical as well as being better for the environment. This is the case in Lewes, especially as they have now launched a scheme where you have to pay to park on the road and each household is only allowed 2 cars.
Cut Down on Electric usage
Saving electricity is yet another way individuals can make a difference as all it takes is to turn off light switches as you leave a room, not leaving things on standby and only boiling the amount of water you actually need.
I think you will agree that none of these are particularly taxing…however you will potentially also agree with me when I say that like many of the population I could do a bit more to make a difference.
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3 comments:
You make some really good comments and just like you I am guilty of not doing my fair share! I always seem to forget to switch lights of and boil for too much water when I make a cup of tea. I know that these are just bad habits and we have no excuses, but sometime I simply just forget!
We to have a similar recycling scheme back at home, but unfortunately with a large family of 5 every two weeks is not enough for our green recycling bin to be emptied and it is often overflowing.
There is no way our family could only cope with two cars like your scheme in Lewes. Due to where we live we all have cars apart from my little brother and we use them most days as there is no public transport and our nearest town is 20 miles away. So for us the car is often the only option. Although I have to say I would be more than happy to go back to the good old horse and cart, but I guess that’s just not practical any more, after all I couldn’t really turn up at university with a horse and cart in tow.
There is a great amount of valid points. I do try to carry out my part by placing things in the correct bin. However sometimes i feel that not all the plastic i put into the bin is recyclable. Not only that but in Halls i constanty find that the lights are left on as my flat mates are not worried about the environment. They like many others view it as 'I don't pay the bill so it doesn't matter'. However when i private accomidation and we have to pay for bills i view their opinions will change, hopefully providing a better chance for the future.
'How Can we Make A Difference?'... I feel that we should say, 'What Difference Can WE Make?'
I agree, that those who dont make a conciouse effort to recycle have poor excuses, as recycling has become very easy to actually do with our waste.
Many people, fall into the crisis of oftenly using their car when public transport could be used. As I have stated in many of my blogs, that sustainability in the UK is going to need a public attitude change, towards life and the environment.
In Hampshire, we have two bins, one rubbish and the other recycling. But my council only allow certain recycling materials, which can be a pain to organise and seperate. For our family of four, fortnightly collections are also, like Natasha, not enough, as my father often takes excess rubbish to the local tip.
I am glad, that I share similar views to my peers.
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