Live a Green Lifestyle
“Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!” – Yuri Gagarin
Technology has changed our lives, our culture and even our environment. People are focusing more on spiritual and material life, resulting in high productivity and consumption. From a gorgeously packaged gift, fast fashion clothing to your travel carbon footprint, our buying behavior impacts the environment. So, the question is: how to preserve the natural beauty of our planet while pursuing our beauty and convenience? How do we achieve a balance between the two?
The oceans cover about 70% of the earth’s surface and is the place where most of the earth’s pollution end up in, most of it being plastic. Plastic is everywhere, from packaging materials, daily essentials, clothing, building materials to mechanical components. We depend on plastic, for the convenience it provides in life. How can we enjoy the advantages plastic bring while mitigating its’ environmental impact? According to the UN, only 9% of the amount of plastic produced on earth is being recycled. The majority of it are either buried or just discarded. Plastic reduction is not the only thing trending nowadays; the topic of renewable plastic materials has also become an international focus. Plastics may have a hard time decomposing, but it can be reused. All we have to do is to reduce the use of disposable plastics and make sure we recycle properly. Then, these plastics can emerge with a brand new appearance, ready to be reused. Not only does this help to reduce waste generation, but also to lessen the amount of carbon emissions produced in the process, further fulfilling the Cradle to Cradle requirements.
Strip off excess packaging and go naked
Disposable plastic goods are one of the main reasons plastic waste keep on piling up. Looking at the enormous amount of plastic packaging waste produced, don’t you ever wonder if we really need all that packaging? Following recent ongoing global efforts to end plastic pollution and reduce plastic waste, the world is beginning to pick up on the naked packaging (i.e., packaging-free) trend. Do away with the luxury packaging and restore products to its original nude self. Buying less is also another way to prevent unnecessary waste. There may still be a long way to go before we achieve the vision for zero packaging, we can still take one small step at a time and be the change we wish to see in the world. Earth can be better, as long as we do something.
Turning over a new leaf in fashion
The environmental costs of the apparel and textile industry shouldn’t be ignored either. Fast fashion is a disaster for the environment and a crisis in our closets. These clothes are produced on a mass scale and sold at cheap prices. What most people don’t know is that the manufacturing and dyeing of fabrics are chemically intensive and the microplastics from polyester clothing made of synthetic materials pollutes the ocean. That’s not all; every time these clothes are washed, thousands of plastic microfibers accumulate in waterways.
This is the true cost of fast fashion, and the earth is hurting. Many well-known clothing brands and designers have stepped up to tackle the problem and take a step toward sustainability by taking a greener approach, using recycled or sustainably sourced materials to manufacture clothes. As far as the fashion industry goes, green is becoming the new black.
The beginning of change
We should go beyond the slogans on the environment and take immediate action. We can start by changing our buying habits and lifestyles, from using less plastic bags, buying less polyester clothing, saying no to luxury packaging to choosing green, eco-friendly products. These small simple steps in our everyday life can build up to greatness. It’s never too late to do something and make a difference. It is possible; the oceans can become clean again and earth can be beautiful once more.
