What is sustainability?

A sustainable society means that everything we use in our everyday lives can be recycled and return to nature. It is very reminiscent of being able to commit to hunter-gatherer cultures. All that they eat, make, and develop comes from nature. They are 100% sustainable, and they do not use the planets resources 1,5 times as the science believe we do today.

When you are sustainable, it means that you can sustain a life that does not carambolage with what you eat, the clothes you wear, the way you live, and what you live in.

It is essential to give back that which you have been given, so that when you die one day, the next generation has just as much as you, and when they die then the generation after that still has ample opportunity to sustain a good life.

According to the UN, sustainability is “… a development in which the needs of the living generations are not met at the expense of future generations’ ability to meet their needs.” Sustainability means that you live on earth in a way that does not affect your children and grandchildren.

According to FoodPrintNetwork.org, we use the earth´s resources 1,5 times a year. That means by the 1. August, we would already have spent all the resources. To be able to get enough food for the rest of the year, for example, we need half a globe more.

It is a very important self-realization. In the old days, when we had our own farm, we had to keep an eye on how we farmed the land, had sheep, cows, and pigs, as well as chickens for food all year round. In Denmark, it also feels that way. We can buy food in Netto every day, we can buy clothes in all shops, we get electricity via wind turbine energy, and we have a home to live in. But in reality, we all have too high consumption all year round, and the earth’s production cannot keep up.

This is where sustainability is super important. We need to be able to make everything come full-circle every year such that our children or grandchildren can live on an Earth which still has forests, food, clean water, and green areas.

What can you do?

That is among some of the first things we can see in our home. When you throw away your trash, do you separate it? Do you throw away your old phone or do you pass it on to others who would use it?

Do you have heating everywhere in your home, are the lights always on? How long do you stand under the hot water in the shower, and do you use clean water to bathe in? Is your house insulated and can you stay warm?

Do you have a lot of electrical apparatus in your house like televisions, computers, radios, or Playstations that are always turned on?

Do you eat a lot of meat that pollutes nature and has a lot of environmental consequences? Do you buy your food packaged or do you avoid products wrapped in plastic? Do you eat green, are you a vegetarian or a vegan? Would you consider growing your own food?

Do you eat tuna and fish which is filled with heavy metals and microplastic? Or are you looking for organic fish that come from fish farms where they get properly fed, such that, for example, the Omega-3 levels are good?

Do you buy new clothes every week and do you use all of them? Do you give your clothes to the thrift store when you cannot use them anymore? Baby and kids’ clothes get used so little and can easily be recycled.

Do drive to get your groceries or do you bike or walk to the nearest store?

How often do you ride the bus or train instead of the car? Do you take on many flights, or could you take the train instead? Do you often drive with others to work so you can save gas?

Here are some tips to live a more sustainable lifestyle:

1. Look out for the seasonal vegetables. Use them for every meal. Prioritize organic, local, and unwrapped vegetables. You can even go to the market to find local producers in the area.
2. Try to have 1-3 meat-free days every week where vegetables are not just side dishes, but the main dish. Boil, fry, or bake your vegetables. Make soups, green dishes, or beetroot meatballs. Borrow books at the library about being meat-free. For lunch, you can use potatoes, hummus, and avocado on your rye bread instead of toppings.
3. Hvis you use meat then go for the organic meat from grass-fed animals. Preferably choose chicken and fish as opposed to pig and cows.
4. Reduce food waste by eating leftovers and empty the fridge once in a while.
5. Sort your trash and learn about which plastic types that go where.
6. Buy clothes second-hand or from thrift shops. Furniture, clothes, phones, and toys can pretty much always be found used. If you are buying new clothes, then go for brands with organic cotton or bamboo (where they use a method of production that does not harm nature).
7. Learn about how little time you actually need to wash your hair and shower. Do you have to wash your hair every day? Use organic shampoo and body wash without environmentally damaging chemicals. Neither your skin nor scalp benefits from too much hot water.
8. Turn off the lights in your home if you are not in that room. Turn off the apparatuses at night, and when you are not home.