In the 1970s, global warming was becoming a serious concern. With the suggestion that our way of living was killing our planet, the environmentalism movement began to take hold within our society.
Environmentalism had, of course, been a concern long before the 70s. Since the Industrial Revolution, forward thinking activists have warned of the destruction our actions threaten the environment with, but it hasn’t been until the last few decades that the general public has taken hold of this idea. For some time, it was just a small population of dedicated environmentalists who urged a change in our lifestyles. In recent years, and since Al Gore’s 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, more and more people have accepted the reality that our way of life is negatively impacting the planet. In recent years, the idea of living “green” has risen as if it were the next big trend. Living sustainably, or green, however, is not just a fad. Sustainability has to be a practice that the human race permanently adopts into society. To be green means to live in a way that does not put further stress on our environment, but rather improves upon it, from the food we eat and the products we use to the places in which we live.
Believe it or not, food plays a large part in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock farming and consumption actually accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation. In 2006, a study concluded that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of "CO2-equivalent" greenhouse gases the world produces every year (Fiala). According to an article on the FAO Newsroom website, in addition to the greenhouse gas emissions, livestock are also responsible for the extreme degradation of our land (Matthews). Switching to a vegan diet instead will prevent 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the earth’s atmosphere (PETA). There’s better news: vegans and vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure than meat-eaters. The alternative is appealing and clear: cutting meat and dairy from your diet is not only beneficial for our planet, but also your health. Unfortunately, simply going vegan is not enough. The next necessary step is to choose food that is organic. In order to be called organic, a product must “contain only organically produced ingredients and processing aids.” Organic farming and food processing methods maintain soil quality, do not contaminate our water supplies, conserve water usage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Cable). If you think of your body as a temple, just as many religious doctrines would suggest, than you would want to consume only the best foods possible. If you consider the negative impact certain diets have on the planet, and not to mention your body, making simple changes like cutting meat from your diet or eating only organic food is an obvious choice.
Walk down any aisle in the supermarket and you’ll see a number of groceries and products whose packaging include words like “natural”, “pure”, or “environmentally friendly”, among other “green” terms. Companies and businesses have not been oblivious to the increased concern towards of global warming. Products are now being marketed and advertised as being green. “Green” to a business, however, means something much different than “green” does to you or me. To most businesses, “green” is a marketing strategy. It’s a profitable angle they can take to increase revenue, often misleading the consumer in the process. Plainly claiming to be green on the packaging does not make one product any better for the environment than the next. To be sure a product is actually good for the environment, look for the USDA Certified Organic seal, a certification granted by the government, or the Green Seal, certified by an independent non-profit. It can be overwhelming at first, but doing your own research into a company’s standards is an important part of being green.
Along with the foods and products you choose to buy, the places you buy them can make an enormous difference. If you concentrate your shopping to only locally owned stores, your money is not contributing to the shipping of products cross-country responsible for a large carbon footprint. Instead, your money is circulated within your community; in fact, it’s often used, in turn, to improve your community. As Barbara Kingsolver said in her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle…A Year of Food Life, “Small changes in buying habits can make big differences”(Kingsolver, 5).
What about our living spaces? When you begin to think about what makes a built environment green, there’s much to consider. In a natural eco-system, every element plays a part in keeping the system healthy. Our communities are no different. They are as much a part of an eco-system as any animals’ habitat. From our private residences to our public buildings, there are myriad ways to be green.
Let us consider every element, from start to finish. Imagine we are building a carbon neutral eco-village. Our structures are built from recycled, sustainable, and renewable resources. The buildings are designed to take advantage of the landscape, to which we’ve made few changes prior to development. Before construction begins, we consider the optimal building site orientation. The windows of our homes are located along the south wall. Along that wall, we’ve left deciduous trees in place so as to provide shade in the summer, yet allow the sun to penetrate through once the leaves have fallen come the winter months (this scenario, as you might have guessed changes depending on the climate and available resources). Our buildings utilize passive solar energy to heat and cool, rather than conventional energy. What electricity we need, we harvest from the solar panels we’ve installed on the roof, or the communities wind turbine. Our streets are paved with porous asphalt, and are laid out in a grid-like manor to provide the most efficient routes for traversing. They are built for the pedestrian and cyclist, rather than the automobile. All community amenities (civic and social spaces, markets, parks, etc.) are situated within a half mile radius. This pedestrian shed marks the distance which community members can travel comfortably on foot. Longer distance travel is accommodated by public transportation.
As you can see, every part of our day to day life has an effect on our environment. In every aspect of our lives, there is an opportunity to be green. The examples provided here are just basic means to address living an environmentally friendly life. To be green is to live a life that improves our planet more than harms it. It means to live a fuller, more satisfying life where you share a deep connection with the land you live upon. And above all, being green means to show the highest respect for all life forms, yourself included.
**“Natural”, “eco-friendly”, and “non-toxic” are just a few buzzwords commonly used in reference to being green. They’re used so often, however, that they’ve lost some of their meaning. Add to your vocabulary the phrase “green washing”. Green washing refers to “manufacturers who make false claims that their products are eco friendly, sustainable or organic etc.”, often by using terms like the ones mentioned above (Environmental buzz words G to I). Given the increased interest consumers have invested in green living, companies have realized that they need only include a few green buzzwords in their marketing to push sales. This sort of use and abuse has lead to the degradation in meaning of these words, and of the term “green” as well. I will continue to use the word, but I use it in its purest, most extreme environmental sense.
Bibliography
1. Cable, Carole. Health Advantages of Buying Organic Food. 9 March 2011
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2. Environmental buzz words G to I. 9 March 2011 .
3. Kinsolver, Barbara. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle...A Year of Food Life. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2007.
4. Matthews, Christopher. Livestock a major threat to environment . 29 November 2006. 9 March 2011 .
5. PETA. Fight Global Warming by Going Vegan. 9 March 2011 .
6. Town Planning and Urban Design Collaborative, LLC. Glossary: New Urbanism Technology. 9 March 2011 .
I have been composting since the end of Spring. It feels so much better to keep my food waste out of the trash. I live in a house with 6 adults, half of whom are foodies- and who love to cook with whole ingredients. Now, all the food goes into our compost pail and then into our compost bin and not into landfills.
