A sustainable lifestyle can change us from the inside out, where nature appeals to our senses. That stimulates one’s body and uplifts one’s mood, emotions and psychological state in a more direct way. A sustainable lifestyle leads to better health choices and also fosters a mentality of compassion and connectivity.
It is of utmost importance to understand the term ” sustainability” before we elaborate and connect with our lifestyle. Sustainability is the process to coexist with the surrounding that allows us to survive on Earth to pursue happiness for ourselves without impacting other species. Lifestyle is the way of living where our ideology influences the future of the planet, by which environmental sustainability connects to our emotional sustainability.
Environmental sustainability is defined as the urgent need to use the Earth’s resources in ways that will allow human beings and other species to continue to exist acceptably on the planet in the future with the conscious idea of leading life.
It is argued that overpopulation, global warming, toxic waste, overuse of agricultural and oceanic habitats result from individual behavior leading to serious environmental problems. Therefore, we must reflect on the individual; how we can change practices to be more environmentally conscious. It requires a paradigm shift in our way of thinking and living subsequently. We do and undo many things in a day – from bathing, cooking, commuting, using electricity and many more such activities, where we built our habits and choices through the food we eat, the soap we use, the clothes we buy and the car we drive. Every decision we make has an impact on natural resources from its creation to distribution to consumption and its disposal without visual realization.
A handful of plastic disposable drinking straws in a female hand on a green background. Not green things, environmental pollution concept.
Let us understand the water footprint of blue jeans and khadi. We may think of buying a pair of blue jeans, but may not consider how those jeans are made. A great deal of water goes into growing cotton, washing it, and dying it blue. Each year, 1.3 trillion gallons of water is used for dying fabrics alone, and it’s estimated that the amount of water needed to grow, dye, and process the cotton for just one pair of blue jeans ranges from 500-1,800 gallons. That is substantially high compared to Khadi and other equivalent fabrics. The global production of cotton is estimated to use 222 billion m3 of water.
At every stage in the life cycle of this product, humans and other living species are negatively impacted. Hence, choosing a sustainable life with fundamental rethinking with a core purpose. We have to question ourselves before making a conscious choice that minimizes harm done and maximizes benefits to our surroundings. After all, we all want our homes prevented, our life protected, our neighborhoods unpolluted, a supply of safe drinking water and organic food.
We have to start making our own choices instead of letting others make choices for our sustainable life. It works with the rule of Karma. Ultimately, the universe also believes in the law of Karma. Whatever we do will come back to us. If you are kind to nature, the environment will be helpful to you. The planet is our home and sustains us, and protecting it gives us pleasure, but it also gives us security. Let us see sustainability only as a set of different viable choices keeping the unusual perspective of what “WELL life” means.
