No matter what your beliefs are, you need to know that going green is needed today more than ever. What does this mean? Why is it essential?
Going green to preserve human health and well-being, or to benefit planet Earth at large is controversial. No matter what your beliefs are, you need to know that going green is needed today more than ever. In this introductory article, Go Green, we will answer the questions: What does it mean to go green? Why is it essential now?
What does go green mean?
Going green is simply about finding a balance between your choices in life and their impact on Earth. We use our planet’s natural resources mainly for human benefit, without thinking of the consequences of our actions. We collect, manufacture, and sell these resources as products, then throw them as wastes. In that sense, to “go green” means to make environmentally-friendly decisions to preserve the planet’s ecosystems and natural resources.
Other than the very broad term “green”, you might have heard relatively similar terms, such as “eco-friendly” and “sustainable”. Merriam-Webster defines “eco-friendly” as not environmentally harmful, so the term describes “products” that take into account the planet. On the other hand, “sustainability”, as defined by the United Nations (UN) is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, so it infers durability and longevity, and puts economic, environmental, and social concepts at the center.
Simply put, “going green” refers to your “actions” and “practices” that consider your impact on Earth; “eco-friendly” refers to safe “products” for the environment in terms of everything from production to end of life; and “sustainability” refers to people’s “consciousness” and “ability” to maintain and support life on the planet over time.
Why is going green essential now?
According to a United Nations report, the current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050. This means that we will need the capacity of two planets to support our current consumption! This answers our second question, why going green now is more important than ever.
It is time to protect our planet, and realize the fact that we are part of nature, not separate from it. Several factors are already contributing to an environmental crisis, such as global warming, deforestation, water pollution, and food shortages. It is hard now to reverse any decline; yet, we can reduce our carbon footprint—the total amount of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, generated by our actions—and live more harmoniously with nature with simple practices.
Image by Freepik
How to go green?
We can enjoy life more fully while securing life for future generations. We need to get back to the basics, and make new healthier choices for us and Earth. In our busy lives, going green entails three simple actions: “reduce, reuse, and recycle”. We need to simplify our lives to help make the world a better place. Beside benefiting the planet, going green will help us save money, time, and resources.
Stay tuned for our series of articles, Go Green: Your Guide to Sustainable Lifestyle, in which we present simple practices to lead a more sustainable lifestyle wherever you are. If we all pull together, we can do so much and make a difference.
References
un.org
investopedia.com
theecohub.com
eponline.com
Cover Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik