The holiday season is on its way. Maybe it’s early to talk about the presents we want to come up with to give to our family and friends.
On the other hand, Black Friday (the last Friday of the month) is coming as well. Lots of companies have nice offers either on that specific day or, to avoid crowds, spread out over a few days or weeks.
So why not be frugal and save ourselves the stress of December by thinking about green presents for the holidays now.
The question of what is a sustainable lifestyle precedes our knowledge of how we can achieve such a lifestyle. We need to agree on some notion of what sustainability is before we can actually make an effort.
Often to our frustration, we’re all aware that the scope of our sustainable actions is limited. However, by taking all individual actions together, we can make a substantial difference.
At the core of this effort is our understanding that moderation is the key to a sustainable lifestyle. Less is more. Being aware of this saves the environment and when we’re lucky also our health, our time, and our money.
We were on a terrace having tapas with an acquaintance, talking about sustainability. At some point, he remarked he didn’t plan to do anything sustainable because “you either do it 100% or you don’t do it at all”.
It hit a nerve. Such nonsense, a statement like that. If we all do a little bit the world will turn into a better direction than where we are heading now.
Inspired by posts I saw with the title Old Me versus New Me, I have collected and come up with all kinds of ideas of old me/new me. There is bound to be an idea in this list that can inspire you as well.
In 2020 there was worldwide 900% more plastic than in 1980. An unbelievable number, don’t you think? I think there is a huge responsibility with the companies that produce plastic objects and wrap their products in plastics. Yet we as consumers can put in an effort as well. It’s not that hard.
There are easy ways to reduce plastic waste for conscious consumers. I agree with the following quote: “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”.
The advantages of organic farming vastly outweigh those of conventional farming. However, the conversion from conventional to organic food production is one of the most challenging endeavors of the 21st century.
To illustrate the truth of both these arguments, I will explain what the challenges are of the conversion. I use the results from a research assignment two of my colleagues and I performed in 2002 and 2003 in The Netherlands.
A provincial board decided to join the national endeavor for an organic agricultural area of 10% in 2010. The most obvious expansion of organic agriculture in this province is that of organic dairy farming.
Why go for a green lifestyle and invest in future generations? Perhaps the more important question is, how to go for a green lifestyle. And why for future generations?
The answer to this second question is fairly simple. When we want to go for a green lifestyle, this can only be achieved with major disruptions to our personal lives. This is why we have to start to dream about our green future, and with this dream in mind make small steps to get there. But where do our dreams start?