November 3, 2021
By: Kerry A. Thomas
Advanced civilizations in the modern era means rapid convenience and mass consumption.
Currently, a massive global problem is CO2, greenhouse emissions, biodiversity, waste, climate change and food supply.
In ancient times, civilization included preservation and consideration for nature, land, people, animals, and the earth.
During colonization and the quest for land, resources and power, preserving nature was the furthest thought from colonizers mind.
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Those who were found on the land, lived in communion with the land before being uprooted, exploited and degraded to the status of beast and savage for living with and off the land.
Today, the world is in a crisis and what is being called for now?
Sustainable living. The very living from the start that was called uncivilized for it had not built up societies in a way that would destroy nature and the land.
Ironically, those Indigenous to the land across countries today are now left out of one of the biggest discussions at the start of the decade at this year’s UN Food Systems Summit.
So how did we get here?
The 1st industrial revolution began the wrecking ball on nature. Over time lifestyle, eating habits and other consumptions has contributed to massive waste.
For example: Did you know that we didn’t always have three meals a day! That began as a means to sustain the workers working long hours throughout the day during the 1st industrial revolution.
With the 4th industrial revolution here, things need to change.
“Unhealthy diets are responsible for more deaths than any other risk factor globally: this includes all forms of malnutrition such as undernutrition, obesity and diet related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).”
For the Afro-Caribbean community, particularly data from the United States these are alarming figures.
In Canada, institutional racism has contributed to severe degradation of communities from the days of Africville to present long-standing issues.
Here are 15 essential modern sustainable living solutions we can all start to use today!
- Walk or bike more often. Carpool or drive less.
- Reducing online consumption. Reduce social media platform time. Studies show that Melanated and Latin X communities spend the most time online. Psychology books and parenting books say online time should be reduced for children. It should be no more than 2 hours a day. 1 hour for children under 7 years of age.
- Sustainable fashion: Recycle old clothing. Recreating fashion out of your old clothes is cool, trendy and unique.
- Eat more raw foods. Fruits, veggies sprouts
- Make it yourself. Make or bake your goodies such as breads, jams, sauces, soups etc.
- Food hub. Community kitchen
- Reduce in-store and online purchases. The amount of waste in underserved communities is overwhelming. Contributing to pollution in the air, water, roads and communities
- Talk less. In a world today built around social networking, this one can be challenging. Conserve human energy.
- Use smartphones less. Switching your smartphone to a simple phone helps to reduce your contact with radiation and conserve energy. For smartphones to operate it consumes lots of energy that can pose a great risk in the future on the grid.
- Eat less meat. Increase seeds and nuts.
- Consider other dairy products and make yourself almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk and others.
- Spend less money on make-up, hair extensions, weaves, artificial nails. The chemicals from these is contributing to dangerous health factors and air pollution.
- Reduce game time on game consoles. Use board games or old school games for entertainment
- Watch less TV. Studies have shown that TV can severally affect a persons self esteem, mental and physical health.
- Eat less fast | junk food and eat less at restaurants. Help preserve water and energy used at fast food restaurants. Instead, have more outdoor meals in the park, your backyard, by the river bank.
The journey the world is on our right now is exciting. As we all learn to curb our consumerism!
End of article.
OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST
CULTURAL DISRUPTION IS THE NEXT BIG INNOVATION
THE HOBBESIAN SOCIETY SOCIAL CONTRACT
WATCH: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
About the Contributor:
Kerry A. Thomas is a charismatic Public Relations and Communications Specialist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is co-founder of The Reset Community, host of The Reset News and currently conducts clinical research as a Systemic Racism Explorer. Her professional experience includes journalism, politics, media relations and was a candidate in the 2018 Running Man Municipal Elections. She has served in various communities for 20 years on boards and committees. Now, she is embarking on redefining the narrative by helping to reshape the world.
You can find her at http://www.kerry-annthomas.com.
#Sustainableliving #Conscious #Growth
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