Kindness to our world...

by Sophie Fitzjohn.

the developed world and we consume a lot of natural resources every day as a result. Urban areas consume more power than those who live in rural areas; however there are improvement to be made everywhere, as it is estimated that we use 40% more resources every year than we can actually put back, which must change.

The front runners in the cause are economic development, social development and environmental protection. These are the three main sectors when sustainability is broken down into three main parts.

Within the economic development bracket, supply and demand market is a main focus as it’s consumerist in nature and modern life requires a lot of resources every day; for the sake of the environment, getting what we consume under control is the main goal. Economic development is based around giving people what they want without compromising quality of life, and this is especially important in the developing world.

The biggest topic when it comes to social development for many people right now is sustainable housing and how we can improve new homes and build from sustainable materials. Education is also a key aspect - encouraging people to participate in environmental sustainability is the first step and also teaching them about the effects of environmental protection is paramount; as well as warning of the dangers if we cannot achieve a positive outcome.

Also the biggest social activism movement related to the social development side of sustainability, has been programs such as Fair Trade and the Rainforest Alliance. These two programmes encourage good farming practices while ensuring farmers who produce luxury goods such as coffee and cocoa receive a decent living wage.

Environmental protection is the third

Sophie says.....

pillar when talking about sustainability, and to many is the main concern of the future of humanity. It defines how we should study and protect ecosystems, air quality, integrity and sustainability of our resources and focuses on the areas that place stress on the environment. It also concerns how technology will drive our greener future; the EPA recognized that developing technology and biotechnology is key to this sustainability, and protecting the environment of the future from potential damage that technological advances could potentially bring.

All these elements are crucial when it comes to improving the world we live in. As many of us have experienced lockdown recently due to Covid19; I feel that a lot of people have rethought their normal way of life and in some ways have realised how damaging their habits were to the planet and own wellbeing.

From no longer being able to travel almost immediately, to reducing our consumption of impulse buys and indulging activities. There’s been so many things that have changed, but it has definitely been a chance to step back and actually engage in the present. Even though many aspects of life have suffered, many other areas such as nature have thrived as a result of human activity being limited. And I think that’s been a huge lesson for everyone and future generations to come on how life could proceed and prosper in the future.