With extreme weather patterns increasing globally, environmental issues like climate change are receiving more and more attention as people begin to express concern about these issues and seek solutions. One of the best paths of action individuals can follow is to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Simply put, sustainable living involves finding patterns of action and consumption that don’t jeopardise opportunities for future generations to meet their needs.
When done right, individuals can create a massive impact by living sustainably. However, as today’s anthropocentric society is majorly dictated by economic growth, consumerism and convenience, any attempts at a sustainable lifestyle can be incredibly difficult.
Our culture of consumption is the pinnacle of environmental degradation.
Consumerism acts as a driver for economic growth. It measures happiness and in turn has become an integral part of the North American identity. Consumers turn to cheap, convenient and easily disposable products rather than repairable and durable quality goods. Producers likewise seek convenience by practicing detrimental resource extraction methods and disregard environmental regulations.
To sustain the high rates of production that fuel economic growth, products are designed and built with a limited time of use, so they become obsolete after short periods of time. They’re less durable and not easily repaired. Clothes and gadgets become out of trend. Electronics aren’t often even compatible with software updates. Consumers have become blind to the true cost of goods because advertisements have created a compulsive and excessive consumption mentality.
The sad truth of the matter is, we can’t simply march up to the CEO of every company and demand ethical and environmentally-friendly production. Respected scientists, journalists, politicians and an army of environmental activists for decades have been doing exactly that to no avail.
Thus, it seems we’re trapped in this unsustainable lifestyle.
It’s impossible to completely turn away from excessive consumption because it has invaded every aspect of our lives.
Plastic packaging in supermarkets are near impossible to avoid. Cafeterias often only have plastic cups and utensils available. The list goes on.
Luckily, living sustainably doesn’t require the complete eradication of this consumerism. Rather, it takes an adjustment to our consumption patterns.
Sustainable living means consuming responsibly and actively reflecting on our purchases. It’s asking ourselves whether we need them or not, if they’re ethically sourced and sustainably produced and whether there are more environmentally friendly alternatives.
There’s a large and complex scale of existing environmental problems that need to be addressed. As a result, people are overwhelmed and become easily discouraged and convinced they’re incapable of creating significant change. However, the role of individual consumers is critical because continuous economic growth relies on their continuous consumption as a whole. If redirected, the power of consumers can bring about drastic positive change.
Our role as consumers can generate extensive impact that ripple through many aspects of our community. In the past couple of years, sustainable businesses have emerged in every area of consumption, from fashion to local organic farms to cosmetics. It’s our responsibility as consumers to use our dollars to support the businesses and products we believe in. We need to create a demand for product alternatives that are long-lasting and have less of a negative environmental impact.
We play the pivotal role of redirecting consumerism and breaking down this culture of convenience. There are so many things we as individuals can do to create this cultural shift: support local farmers and buy local products, purchase reusable products, reuse our grocery bags, water bottles and produce bags, invest in energy efficient kitchen appliances, consider electric cars in lieu of traditional gasoline dependent vehicles, take public transit, support businesses that value the environment and operate under a sustainable framework and so many other changes to our current routines and lifestyles. On our own campus here at Queen’s, the Tea Room and the Earth Centre are perfect examples of places promoting sustainable consumption choices. The Tea Room is a carbon neutral, zero consumer waste café that sells locally sourced foods. Meanwhile, the Earth Centre works to carry a range of ecofriendly products.
Another step towards living sustainably is collaborative consumption, essentially a form of sharing. For example, appliances like printers, coffee makers and blenders can be shared in a household. Lawnmowers, snow removal machines, bikes and cars can be shared within a neighbourhood. By borrowing and lending products, we can cut down on unnecessary consumption, costs and environmental damage. Even here at Queen’s, students engage in collaborative consumption by carpooling through programs like Rideshare, reducing the amount of single rider vehicles, traffic, carbon emissions and transportation costs.
It’s important to remember that sustainable consumption is just one piece of the puzzle. Large scale environmental changes require collaborative action from all stakeholders including governments, policy-makers, researchers, corporations and local communities. However, it stems from us, individuals, to make the conscious, active effort to choose sustainability over convenience.
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