Designing a home for yourself can be an exciting thing. However, it is critical to consider what is important to put in the design. Most people will take everything the standard way and not even contemplate taking the extra time in the building and design process. However, doing this can save them time, money, and hassle later. So, to save yourself some trouble, you should put in the extra thought now and design the home you will want later. With this in mind, you should consider what will make your home sustainable. A sustainable home is a home that uses less resources and gives more. A sustainable home will reduce its impact in the environment. Also, a sustainable home is usually built with materials that are made to last for a long time, so they will not need to be replaced often. Have I sold you on sustainable homes? Well here are some ideas for you to ponder; a rain / grey water collecting system, a solar panel or two, a rooftop water tank, and a garden. A rain and grey water tank are technically two separate concepts, however one or both can be used to take advantage of water before it goes down the drain. A rain collection system, is the easier of the two to install. It uses the roof of the home to collect rain water into the gutters (which are usually already going to be installed on the house) and instead of spitting the rain onto the ground, it collects it into barrels that have a spout on them. Then a couple days after the big rain, there is still extra water
Recycled water is former wastewater that has gone through a process to remove contaminants so that it can be used for other purposes such as irrigation for crops and landscape (“Water Recycling and Reuse”). Another source of recycled water is gray water, which “is reusable wastewater from residential, commercial and industrial bathroom sinks, bath tub shower drains and clothes washing equipment drains” (“Water Recycling and Reuse”). The treatment process includes three steps, first any solids are removed from the water. Secondly, microorganisms are added to the water to eat dirt particles and as they get fatter, they’ll fall to the bottom of the tank, leaving cleaner water rising to the top. Lastly, water is
In order for sustainable development to be achieved, humans need to reduce their effect on the environment by consuming less in terms of resources, and living more lightly on the planet. As difficult as this may sound, there are a number of ways in which this is easily achievable. One of the most effective ways to do this is to alter the way in which we function day-to-day, and to begin to change our homes to make them more efficient in terms of resources. In addition, sustainability is not only about ensuring a future in which we can sustain our society without impacting negatively on our environment, but also but ensuring that everyone can have access to this. Therefore we must look at the triple-bottom line approach and align our movement towards sustainable development with this.
Recycling and conservation are the solution to climate change and to saving energy. America sends a majority of its trash to landfills when it could be put to much better use by means of recycling or even by burning it to produce energy. Pollution is greatly reduced when recycling because the need to collect new raw materials goes down. Recycling is great because it can help people conserve this Earth for future generations who deserve to have a healthy Earth. Once the United Stated reaches recycling levels of 75%, it would be the equivalent of getting rid of fifty five million cars from the roads in the U.S. each year.
The time has come, we’re running out of fossil fuels and we need an alternative. That is where renewable energy comes in; The best part about it is that it is renewable so it will always be available to us, and we can acquire this energy through solar, water, and wind power. There is a lot of controversy as to whether we should rely on renewable energy, because some say it is not cost effective. However renewable energy can pay for itself, is available nearly everywhere through various methods of obtaining it, provides numerous amount of jobs and economical benefits, and it will not harm our environment.
These days, nearly everyone seems to be concerned with how our existence affects the environment. Some even try to come up with ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Many of you probably recycle, compost, or even try to conserve water and electricity. Some of you may even ride a bike, walk, or carpool to reduce the amount of pollution from daily transit, and minimize the use of fossil fuels. But is that enough? What if I told you that the leading cause of climate change and air pollution could be sitting on your dinner plate?
For an entire week, I put my efforts towards conserving as much water as I could. Saving water could include a variety of activities, however, I specifically chose to focus on a few in order to not overwhelm myself, as the act of water conservation can take many forms. The first activity I chose was to refrain from washing clothes for an entire calendar week. The second activity I chose was to take less showers throughout the week. Both of these ideas together, I thought, made up most of my usage of water on a daily basis. Since the majority of my water usage could be boiled down to washing clothes and taking showers, cutting back on these two activities specifically has netted the most benefit in respect to sustainability. The main motivation behind choosing to save water came in the form of my observation of people wasting bottled water in large amounts. I don’t purchase bottled water for this reason, however, for this sustainability initiative, I wanted to see how far I could push the act of conserving water, since I already had been through small instances for years.
In the modern age of high-speed internet, self-driving cars and VR it’s easy to forget that some places in the world still don’t have fresh water, let alone plumbing. The average person uses between 80 and 100 gallons of water a day. If you drink the recommended 8 glasses per day that’s only 8 oz a glass, or 64 oz in total. Of those 80 to 100 gallons we use an average of 3 every time we flush the toilet, 5 gallons per minute in the shower, 36 gallons for a bath, 8-27 gallons while doing the dishes, 25 gallons for every load of laundry and another 2 gallons a minute if you’re doing any outdoor watering or filling a kiddy pool. By using a newer toilet, you can reduce the gallons per flush to about 1.6 gallons, and when using a water saving shower head you can reduce your use to about 2 gallons per minute. This may not seem like much of a difference, but it can make a big impact.
The one thing humans need on this planet to survive is water. If we need water to survive, then why are polluting it? Most of our nation’s waterways are in terrible condition because of the pollution in the water. Water pollution not only can cause illnesses, but also deaths for humans. Humans aren’t the only thing that water pollution causes harm to. It is also hurting our ecosystem. Humans are the leading cause of most water pollution. We keep throwing wastes into the water making the water unsafe for humans to drink. Scientists are coming up with ways for humans to decrease the amount of wastes they are putting in the water. We need to stop polluting the one thing that keeps us alive.
Pollution has had a shocking impact in the atmosphere for including many irreparable damages to ocean life, serious health issues to human beings, and negative changes to the environment. Pollution is a man-made global dilemma which is increasing to a serious magnitude. Human beings, the number one culprit, seem to be blind to this matter. Humans’ inability to clearly see the problem they are creating, will be one of the causes for the world to be no more.
A major part of living sustainably is using clean and renewable energy sources for as much as possible.(3) Wind, water, and the sun all provide an alternative to fossil fuels which harm the environment through carbon emissions and pollution. Sources such as oil and natural gas can not be replenished quickly, where as solar energy or hydropower can be harvested regularly with little to no effect on the environment. One way to become green in everyday life is to make your home sustainable.(4) A sustainable home should be constructed of recycled or natural, environmentally friendly materials, and renewable energy sources should be utilized. Its important that the construction process as well as the building itself impacts the surrounding environment as little as possible. In addition to living in a sustainable home, eating green can reduce the impact on the natural world. Because the meat production industry uses so many resources and can often harm the environment through waste pollution, many people who eat sustainably decide to be vegetarian. Organic and locally grown vegetables are far better for the sustainable movement compared to factory farm produce due to pesticides used and the negative effect factory farming can have on soil composition and erosion.(3) Even with a sustainable personal life, work takes up much of society’s time and sustainable practices should be brought to
It has no taste, no smell and no color. We find it in tanks, ponds, wells, rivers and springs. Almost three-fourth of the earth is water. Millions of years ago human beings used water for all rare reasons. Up till now people don't appreciate how precious water is. Saving water at home does not require any significant cost but there are many ways we can save water through our actions.
What is the one thing that all humans can agree on? Clean water. Then why are roughly 844 million people around the world living without access to clean water? (UN Water) As simple as it may seem, there are complex layers that have overlapped for generations, leading to an endless cycle of poverty. The scarcity of water contributes to issues in health, education, and poverty. Water impacts nearly every aspect of life; however, the most shocking fact is that we already have the solutions to provide safe water. The first obstacle that we must overcome is the allocation of resources. Now, more than ever, we have access to the world’s finest research and technology that could very easily end the water crisis. The solution to the water crisis starts with spreading awareness and reaching out to generous donors. Proper funding can be raised to reach the goals of charities across the globe. Sustainable clean water technology can be distributed to some of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world, such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which all have populations of over fifty percent living without improved drink water sources. (Africa Development Information) I believe we have the means to provide solutions to put an end to the water crisis, but it will require effort from donors and local communities alike. It is possible within the decade that no one will need to drink unsafe water again if we are united by this cause.
We live in a world that offers so many things to us. A home, food, water, life itself, yet we don 't take much care of it and are destroying it instead. The presence of pollution has been around for such a great amount of time now that you would expect us as humans, to start noticing the mass destruction we are causing and start doing something about it. Glaciers are melting, water levels are rising, the water and air around is being polluted if it 's not polluted already. There is little being done to try and stop or at least slow down this fatal event. If we do not start taking care of our own home, we will soon be left with no home at all, and the only one’s we can blame for that, is ourselves.
Your day has been great so far. You went on vacation, you found a dollar bill on the floor, you ate your favorite dish, nothing can be better than this. As soon as you walk on the boardwalk you are hoping to see big waves and fish in the sea, instead, you see dead fish and some animals floating in the water next to old car tires, trash, and fertilizer. Now you feel terrible and want to go home. Pollution is devastating. The reason why I researched this topic is that I do not want my family nor my planet to get sick. Pollution can be stopped very easily, it’s just that people “don’t know” how to stop or they just don’t care, which is a serious problem. I want people to see that pollution is mainly caused by humans, and also for them to see that it is a horrible thing that is happening. Some kids litter because they see their parents and their whole family doing it. When I was researching this topic, I noticed that I needed to find out more information, so I asked questions to myself. When did pollution get so bad? How many animals have gone extinct because of pollution? How many people die each year because of pollution? How much does everyone on the planet pollute each year? What is the best way to stop pollution? Can just one person make a difference? After a lot of research, I found out lots of ways that we can stop pollution, so it is possible to end it. Or at least improve the air.
In a culture based on consumption and consumerism businesses are the forefront of society providing every good and service imaginable. Although, in today’s society there has been an increase in significant issues concerning the ecology of our planet that have come along with this consumer culture. With issues such a lack of clean water, lack of food, lack of energy and a rapid decline in biodiversity. This rapid decline in natural resources is due to mostly to the over consumption and alteration of the planet and its resources. Where do we start though in the process to protect and preserve our resources? It starts with the very businesses that we all buy from; a major part of our everyday lives and the largest consumers of resources businesses can play a large role in sustainability and climate action. Increasing pressure is being put on businesses to create a more sustainable society, this is being done through many business sustainable business efforts.