Seven Reasons Why Sustainable Living Is Important
Sustainable living helps protect the environment and reduce wastefulness. *Sustainability is meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Living sustainably is an important practice for saving the environment and using our resources efficiently. Whether people are zero waste or just getting started, your individual practices can make a difference. Here’s a list of reasons why sustainable living is important:
1. Improves Air Quality
When a community practices sustainable living, they help the environmental quality. Maintaining a sustainable lifestyle helps reduce your carbon footprint. When a community pursues sustainability, air pollution reduces. Clean air is key to a healthy community.
2. Conserves Natural Resources
The earth has limited resources. Every time you turn on a light, for example, something is powering it. *Electricity accounts for about 41 percent of household energy consumption in the U.S. *Most of this is powered by coal, natural gas and nuclear power. That means renewable energy sources like solar power, wind and geothermal are less likely to power homes in America.
Conserving this energy is a common way to go green at home. Conserving these natural resources is important for helping future generations meet their needs. This also includes how we use water, trees and our food supply. Having sustainable practices for our natural resources will keep them around for our needs and needs of the future.
3. Improves Community Health
The quality of our environment affects our health. Individuals taking steps for sustainability can help reduce the potential toxicity of the environment. A community taking social action can also help by introducing sustainable policy in government. Simply put, a sustainably conscious community can directly affect the health of a community. Cleaner air, less waste and less pollution will help foster a healthier community.
4. Prepares For Growth
A sustainability minded community is better prepared for growth. This is true for practically any type of community. A business practicing sustainability will save money, helping them to hire more employees and grow. A city practicing sustainability will have cleaner air and more natural resources available for a growing population. They will also have career opportunities in growing natural energy fields.
Conserving and sustaining our limited resources helps us prepare for our growing needs as populations rise. Using what we have efficiently, and finding new ways to power our lives will help us be prepared.
5. Maintains Resources For Future Generations
Perhaps the most important reason why sustainable living is important is so the world is inhabitable for future generations. Humans are one of the leading factors of climate change. Our plastic production and energy use of fossil fuels are just the tip of the iceberg. Burning through all our fuel, food and water while destroying the environment might be OK if no one else was coming after us. However, future generations of life ought to be considered. Making sure the air is clean and there are enough resources is our responsibility to future generations. Making a conscious effort to live sustainably helps ensure that there will be enough to meet their needs. That means having a low environmental impact and focusing on sustainable development.
6. Slows Climate Change
The environmental impact of sustainable living can help slow climate change. *The scientific community generally agrees that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 in order to stay below an average temperature rise of 2°C. Your individual sustainable life choices can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On a larger scale, your community action can help influence sustainable policy.
7. Assists Economic Development
Sustainable living offers an economic opportunity to communities. If the problem is energy efficiency, there are a number sustainable ways to solve that. Implementing renewable energy sources into a community expands the economy, can help lower costs long term, and can offer jobs in the short term.
Finding sustainable solutions to our limited resources often results an improved economy. *For example, if a company decides to come of with a creative solution for their waste management, that could result in a lot of positives. That could create a new position and therefore jobs. They could save money. That could lead to increased wages or lower prices. It could also lead to an improved reputation, which could lead to new customers who value sustainability.
If those principles applied to businesses throughout a community, you would find an improved environment and economy.
An example of a charity that practices sustainability is Wheels For Wishes. Wheels For Wishes also offers our donors help in their sustainable lifestyles. If you have an unwanted car, Wheels For Wishes has a sustainable solution for you.
You can donate your vehicle to Wheels For Wishes. We come to you with free towing, and we recycle your vehicle. You get a great tax deduction that you can put toward a new environmentally-friendly car. Best of all, the proceeds from your donation benefit your local chapter of Make-A-Wish. Local kids facing critical illness get to experience a life-changing wish. We help you live sustainably, we practice sustainability and you help local children all at once! Plus, it really pays to donate with the tax deductible receipt we send in the mail.
Donate your car to Wheels For Wishes today by calling 1-855-278-9474 or by filling out our easy online donation form.
Sources:
*https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_production.html
