Peter is a teacher. He is sure that he leads a sustainable life. He buys organic produce at the supermarket market and rides to work on a bike. He uses green electricity. But is that really sustainable living?
Let’s go back to the beginning . For example Hans Carl Von Carlowitz realized that you shouldn’t cut down more trees than will grow again to replace them. So he recognize the basic principle of sustainability. Nowadays sustainability is seen as a global concept. It can be explained with the help of the three Pillar model. The model is based on environmental, economic, and social considerations which must always be regarded as belonging together.
First, the environmental pillar it includes among other things widespread climate protection. Protection of resources and bio diversity. Also food should be grown organically. That is to say we should stop using pesticides. And farm animals should be given what’s produced on the farm. We must use natural resources more sparingly too. One of them is petrol for our cars for sooner or later this resource will be exhausted and there will be no fuel for the cars. This is why we are looking very hard for an environmentally friendly alternative. So that future generations will have environmentally friendly cars. Electrical ones for example.
The next pillar is the economy that is business and industry. In the future in the supermarket Peter should only find produce that’s in season in his region like strawberries in the summer. Mangoes from Brazil, or bananas from Columbia and Ecuador arrive by air from a vast distance. Transporting them causes a lot of pollution.
The third pillar of sustainability is the social element. Goals here include for example better education and training opportunities, equal rights for men and women, fighting poverty, and prosperity for the whole of humanity.
One beverage manufacturer from an industrialized country has quite a bit of catching up to do here. it repeatedly takes over the wells in India because it needs the water to make its products there. That is not very sustainable. Peter doesn’t think so either…
Afterall, at least a little water should be left in the wells for the Indian population.
So Peter tries to do justice for the three pillar model when he buys organic grown produce, when he goes to work on his bike, and by using green power from wind turbines. He really does live sustainably. But be careful a lot of companies exploit consumers environmental awareness. Not all the products that claim to be from fair trade or organic farming are sustainable. It’s up to consumers to be well informed about the products they’re consuming.
Author: Bliss
Dedicated to making a positive difference for people, animals, and this beautiful planet!
