simple and sustainable: What is Sustainability?

Monday, April 20, 2009

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is an approach that takes into account the impact on society, the environment, and the economy when making business or personal decisions.

"For humans to live sustainably, the Earth's resources must be used at a rate at which they can be replenished. However, there is now clear scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably, and that an unprecedented collective effort is needed to return human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits."
(Wikipedia.org)

For me, sustainability is a combination of being conscious of our natural resources, living within our means, and living a life of health. I believe I am on my way to being a LOHAS.

LOHAS "is a demographic defining a particular market segment related to sustainable living, ( Sustainable living refers to a specific lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprints by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet) 'green' ecological initiatives, and generally composed of a relatively upscale and well-educated population segment." That is the definition given by Wikipedia.org. It stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. The definition should not include 'upscale and well-educated' because ANYONE can live a Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability. And, everyone should! It just means that you want to live healthy and be conscious of your surroundings.

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Green Energy Conservation Tips

1.28 gallon water-efficient toilets use 20% less than a 1.6 GPF counterpart and 60% less than a standard 3.5 GPF toilet.
Watch 'Living With Ed' for lots of eco tips!
Tankless water heaters outperform their counter parts by 20% or more!
Water-efficient showerheads use 1/2 to 1/3 as much water as a standard one.
Using tactics towards energy efficiency is like giving yourself a big fat raise!
Conservation IS a renewable source of energy! It is the first step towards energy independence.
Conventional incandescent light bulbs convert only 5% of the electrical energy that runs through them into light!
You can save a lot of money by switching to CFL bulbs (compact flourescent lights). CFLs use 75-80% less energy!
Turn off lights when you leave the room. (seems like common sense but how many times do we forget?)

Live Green - Eat Healthy

Buy Locally Grown Organic Food: This can be difficult in Minnesota since the growing season is so short. This summer I plan to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm.
The benefits of Chai Tea: "The frequent Biblical references to milk and honey demonstrate the importance of these two oldest aliments. Neither, how-ever, is a complet food nor a proper nutriment alone for a long period of time. They are effective only to supplement deficiencies of other food substances." www.honey-health.com (sorry they made the spelling errors)

Think Green - Think Clean

06.08.09 American spend 90% of their time on average indoors. The EPA estimates that indoor air pollutant levels may be 2 to 5 times higher than levels outside!
04.01.09 How many rolls of paper towels do you use in a month? Switch to cloth and save mucho dinero.
02.03.09 A damp wash cloth creates bacteria and harbors germs. There are two ways (besides throwing it in the laundry) to get rid of those pesky germs. One way is to put it in the dishwasher when you run your load of dishes, and the other way is to pop your damp germ festering nasty dish rag in the microwave for a minute or more. I usually put mine in for about 2 minutes every morning but BEWARE, it is SUPER hot so I wear my rubber gloves when taking it out of the microwave. The super high heats kills those little buggers!
06.01.08 Carpet is home to lots of dust mites. They won't kill you but they do cause havoc with allergies. Carpet is also made with chemicals like flame retardants, glues, and dyes. The new carpet (and new car) smell is coming from chemicals. Shampoo your carpet often or better yet, trade it for wood or natually renewable floors.
05.27.08 How much toilet paper do you really need? Try using less - a softball size wad does not clean any better it just causes pluggage.

Save Green - Build Wealth

01.31.09 January is the time to clean out '08 files. Be financially organized for the new year.
06.01.08 One of my favorite financial authors, David Bach, has a very important tip: Pay yourself first! This pertains to saving not spending. You should pay yourself 10% off the top. Put that aside and the rest of your income is budgeted for expenses. It is a GREAT rule to follow!
05.29.08 Tom Stanley, author of 'The Millionaire Next Door' found these interesting facts: The average millionaire lives in a house that costs $320,000, income is $131,000/year, most millionaires drive older American-made cars and for the most part, millionaires describe themselves as "tight-wads" who believe that charity begins at home.