Earth is our home. It is also home to 8.7 million other plant and animal species that exist on the planet. For over a billion years, life on Earth existed in harmony with nature, until the last couple of centuries, when humans became a predominant force on the Earth. Humans have changed everything including atmospheric gas concentration, forest cover, land, water and ice distribution, and so on. Our impact on this globe is very huge, which should be checked, otherwise, the survival of other species will be at stake. Therefore, the concept of Earth harmony living is introduced, which will be discussed in this blog post.
So, let’s get going.
What is Earth Harmony Living?
Earth harmony living can also be termed a sustainable lifestyle or net-zero living. It can be defined as an attempt to reduce one’s ecological footprint.
According to Wikipedia, it can be defined as “a living style that attempts to reduce the consumption of Earth’s natural resources or one’s personal resources.”
Earth harmony living is an umbrella term that includes in itself multiple lifestyle choices such as energy consumption, diet, dressing, transportation, agriculture, construction, home design, tourism, and many more.
Earth harmony living is an overlap of four social domains including economics, politics, ecology, and culture.
A Brief History of Sustainable Living
The concerns over sustainability grew in the later part of the 20th century. A series of publications made the concept popular among the masses. A brief timeline of the history of sustainable living is outlined here.
1954: “Living the Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing” was published. The publication marked the advent of the modern-day sustainable living movement.
1962: The publication of “Silent Spring by Rachel Carson” provided further popularity to the movement.
1972: “The Limits to Growth by Donella Meadows” was published. The book became an international bestseller and it was translated into 28 languages.
1973: The book “Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher” was published, which was a collection of essays on sustainable living through the application of technology.
1992-2002: During this decade, a series of conferences on the application of sustainability for the conservation of natural resources were held, including the Earth Summit Conferences of 1992 and 2002.
2007: “Sustainable Consumption and Production” was published by the United Nations, which covered climate-friendly household consumption patterns to promote earth harmony living.
As a result of these publications, sustainability penetrated the minds of common citizens. You must have watched The Avengers: Infinity War. Well, that is pervading sustainability into popular culture, which is a promising sign.
Value of Biodiversity to Human-Being
As mentioned in the introduction, more than 8.7 million species live on the planet. All these species live in harmony with nature, constituting biodiversity.
There has been harmony on the globe for millions of years until very recently, when humans became a predominant factor on Earth.
Biodiversity is very valuable to human beings. Biodiversity benefits us in many ways including providing food, medicine, nuts, clothing, wood, fuel, raw material, and so on.
It is the presence of biodiversity that makes the survival of human beings possible.
The Link Between Human Activities and Biodiversity Loss
Since, the Industrial Revolution, the world population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. It took the whole of human history to reach 1 Billion and in less than 3 centuries, the population reached a 7.8billion.
Due to industrialization and the growing world population, human activities have been exploiting natural resources and destroying biodiversity.
Studies have estimated that we use an equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our current way of life. Remember that we have only one Earth and if we degrade its resources at this pace, it is pretty evident that there would be no home for us to live in.
Human activities and ecosystems are related in complex ways. On one hand, human activities are leading to the degradation of the ecosystem, deforestation, extinction of species, soil degradation, water contamination, and climate change.
The degradation of the ecosystem is affecting the world population in many ways including changing climate patterns, food insecurity, unemployment, poverty, and health issues.
According to estimates, the loss of biodiversity is affecting around 40% of the world’s population.
Consequences of Biodiversity Loss
There is a delicate balance in nature with a well-defined food chain. You must have studied the food chain in your elementary biology. Well, this complex relationship of the food chain is responsible for the harmony, survival, and existence of life on Earth.
Human beings have caused irreversible damage to biodiversity on the globe. Biodiversity losses caused by humans tend to be more severe and long-lasting.
According to a report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), due to human activities around one million plant and animal species are facing extinction. This figure is very alarming.
If this trend continues in the future, then the consequences will be grave. Some of the obvious consequences of biodiversity loss include:
- Climate change
- Ill-functioning of ecosystem
- Extinction of other species
- Over-exploitation of natural resources
- Misbalance in nature
- Soil, water, and air pollution
- Spread of infectious diseases
- Food crisis
- Water crisis
- Natural disasters
- Extreme weather conditions
Why is Sustainable Living Important?
Earth harmony living is important for a number of reasons. Some are as follows:
- Mitigation of climate change
- Protection of biodiversity
- Cost-saving
- The well-being of future generations
- Conservation of natural resources
- Health benefits
- Balance in nature
How To Live in Harmony With Nature
A detailed framework is provided by the United Nations with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that set out 169 targets and objectives for sustainable development. The 17 SDGs cover all aspects of human life.
Living sustainable living involves changing many aspects of one’s lifestyle. Some of the ways through which you can live a sustainable lifestyle are as follows:
1. Using Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Hence, fossil fuel energy consumption should be replaced with renewable energy, which offers several social, environmental, and economic advantages.
2. Using Sustainable Building Materials
Traditional building materials are harmful to the environment and they are economically less feasible.
Some examples of sustainable building materials include Bamboo, clay, cob, cordwood, cork, hemp, natural rubber, recycled material, recycled concrete, wood, and so on.
3. Buying Energy and Water-Efficient Appliances For Your Home
Energy and water are wasted due to the use of low-efficiency home appliances. Energy and water-efficient appliances should be used to save water and energy.
You need to change your toilet, shower, bulb, dishwasher, sink, washing machine, and other appliances that have poor energy and water efficiency ratings. Even though, the upfront cost will be higher but it will be cost-effective in the long run.
4. Changing Diet
Diet especially meat is very harmful to the environment and particularly beef. So, it is highly recommended that you should reduce your meat consumption. A change in diet is beneficial for your health as well as for the environment.
To get better insights into the food industry, I highly recommend you to read “The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker” and “Spoon Fed by Tim Spector”. These two books are eye-openers and they can help you in switching to safer and sustainable food choices.
5. Practicing Sustainable Farming Practices and Organic Farming
Growing sustainable and organic products is a fundamental contribution to a sustainable lifestyle. Sustainable farming provides safe and nutritious food.
Moreover, underground and vertical farming can play a key role in minimizing land use for agriculture.
6. Eco-Friendly Transportation
The transportation sector is one of the biggest causes of climate change through the emissions of greenhouse gases.
To reduce carbon-foot print and to ensure sustainable living, eco-friendly transportation should be promoted. Zero-emission urban transport is a new trend in the transportation industry.
Cycling is beneficial for your health as well as for the environment.
7. Purchasing Sustainable Products
We use different products and gadgets. Some of which are produced by exploiting natural resources and harming biodiversity. We should be very careful while choosing a product, it should strictly be safe and sustainable.
How Transition to Sustainable Living Could Happen?
Our current lifestyle is unsustainable and harmful to the environment which is why we need a transition to sustainable living.
The transition to sustainable living needs efforts from all stakeholders including governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, the scientific community, and community groups.
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Here are a few ways through which the transition to sustainable living could happen.
a) Public Change
Public awareness is the prerequisite for change. As Richard Rogers has pointed out “The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.”
This can be achieved through education, seminars, conferences, and other tools.
The government should use every state’s machinery to make people aware of the impacts of their lifestyle choices and empower them to change their lifestyle if it’s not eco-friendly.
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Along with education, conferences, and seminars, social media can be used as a viable tool to bring public change. Social media can impact the public mindset in a short time.
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b) Policy Change
A change is possible when it is backed by robust policies. Government should devise policies in light of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
The government should encourage citizens to make the transition. Moreover, incentives and subsidies should be provided for sustainable and eco-friendly products and services.
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c) Research and Innovation
Research and development should be funded to formulate new and effective methods of harmonious living.
Technological advancement is an effective path to sustainable living. Technologies such as Artificial intelligence, Virtual reality, Augmented Reality, and advanced computational methods can be employed to devise new approaches to restoring biodiversity.
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d) Assessing and Redefining our Lifestyles
The change at the grassroots level matters the most. So, we should assess our lifestyles and determine if it is harmful to the environment and biodiversity.
We should have good habits such as saving water, energy, and natural resources. Moreover, we should implement the basic environmental principles, i.e., The three R’s’ Reduce, Reuse and recycle. Remember, every small action matters including turning off the tap while brushing your teeth.
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Sustainoverse Proposes a Vision for an Earth Harmony Living
Sustainoverse is a vision for a sustainable future.
On this blog, you will find ways through which you can contribute to the environment. We help you reduce your carbon footprint and ecological footprint.
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We are dedicated to bringing about a sustainable revolution. Help yourself around the blog, implement the knowledge in your lives, and don’t forget to share it with your loved ones.
We have only one Earth and it is our moral obligation to protect it.
Conclusion
Urgent action is needed to address biodiversity loss, climate crisis, and environmental degradation. We should protect biodiversity as it is vital for our existence and reverse the damage that we have caused.
We might face short time difficulties in adapting to a different life, but it is worth making the effort.