Ecological and Environmental

S u s t a i n a b Topici l2 i t y
Environmental sustainability
 refers to the responsible management of natural resources to
ful ll current needs without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet theirs.
 It aims to balance ecological, economic and social goals, such
as reducing carbon emissions, promoting renewable energy
and ensuring equitable resource access.
 Accdg to UN, “meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.”
 “I like this de nition,” said Mike Weinstein, director of
sustainability at SNHU. “It asks us to consider two things;
rst, what are ‘needs?’ And secondly, what is life beyond
ourselves?”
 How Do You
Achieve
Environmental
Sustainability?
Environmental regulations come from organizations like the
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). e
EPA has congressional authority to write rules that lead to the
implementation of laws.
According to the EPA, these regulations are mandato and
can apply to:
 Businesses
 Individuals
 Nonpro t institutions
 State or local governments
 So, how can
you help
achieve
sustainability?
 e UN o ers 17 goals for sustainable development that act as the
path to achieving a more sustainable future. ese goals address
global challenges like:
 Clean water and sanitation: Such as learning to avoid
wasting water
 Climate action: Acting now to stop global warming
 Life below water: Avoiding the use of plastic bags to keep
the oceans clean
 Life on land: Planting trees to help protect the environment
 Responsible consumption and production: Recycling items
such as paper, plastic, glass and aluminum
 Sustainable cities and communities: Biking, walking or using
public transpo ation
RECYCLE:
• Recycling and buying items made from recycled materials
have many bene ts:
• Cleaner Home
• Extra cash by cleaning the house through disposal of
some items and savings by recycling old household
waste
• Purchasing of recycled items completes the chain. Recycling
eliminates the burden on raw materials, mining and energy
and other mineral extraction, transpo ation and storage
costs. e person also saves waste space.
MAKE INFORMED CHOICES:
• A person can improve his buying habits by choosing
goods and se ices that are sustainable.
 Gather purchasing data and distinguish needs and
wants
 Use already available ingredients
 Analyze the sustainability of food production process
• One may use some of the products he already has at
home if it does not need a product. Read the ingredients
and make sure that the food is produced using
sustainable methods.
MAKE INFORMED CHOICES:
• Many products mention on their pack that how the item was
made:
 Is it manufactured in a sustainable manner?
 Is the consumer climate and ecosystem suppo ive?
• Most products, in pa icular cleaning products, have been
branded environmentally friendly.
• Compare various products and make sure to choose the right
brand for sustainability.
• Avoid products that use unnecessa packaging because they
increase waste. Bulk sales are also designed to reduce
packaging waste.
MINIMIZE WASTE:
• Areas to ponder:
 50% of food produced in the USA never reaches the
tables. It is lost in the shipping, packaging and
adve ising process.
 Some of the meat is also discarded by the customers
after purchasing. ink about the energy and resources
that have been lost in food production, distribution and
storage.
 ousands of gallons of irrigation water are used and
thousands of gallons of energy and gas are wasted for
transpo and storage.
MINIMIZE WASTE:
• Points to Consider:
 Stop over-packaging and reuse all you can.
 Split the household waste into re-usable products
before tossing anything into the land ll.
 In your vegetation garden, a lot of your kitchen
waste can be used and many of your furnishings,
electrical devices or old clothes can be used or
recycled.
 One should donate it to a recycling organization in
your community if you don't need it.
GROW OWN GARDEN:
• Food is processed, transpo ed and stored before it can
hit the supermarket's shelves. It is not always produced
using sustainable method.
• By growing own food in backyards, the carbon footprint
can be reduced and negative environmental impacts can
be mitigated.
• Advantages of planting vegetables in garden backyard areas:
• You can grow, reuse your kitchen waste as fe ilizer and
enjoy fresh vegetables from your own cou yard without
using chemicals or pesticides.
• It is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, practice and
bring together your family.
OBSERVE THE UTILITY BILLS:
 Cutting the utility bill doesn't need to be an initial
investment and there are ce ain actions to do that.
 If there is high electricity bills or water bills, t nding out
if there is a faulty wiring, rotting pipes or rods, inadequate
ventilation and old equipment to waste energy or water.
 Little things like unplugging the appliances while heating
or air-conditioning is in use or closing the doors are crucial
to save power over the longer term, minimize
environmental emissions and also reduce electricity bills.
is helps to reduce the global impact and carbon
footprints on a large-scale ove ime.
Purchase Energy-E cient Appliances:
 Replace all energy e cient home appliances such as
new heaters, thermostats, heat pumps, air conditioning,
washing machines, etc., are better isolated and save
energy
 Even, look for energy star scores and other energy
saving features while buying doors and windows for a
house.
Suppo Organizations Dedicated to Sustainability:
 Find and suppo non-pro t organizations present in
several communities to encourage sustainability.
 People can pa icipate easily and enable these
organizations to encourage sustainability.
 Joining and suppo ing a few sustainable organizations
will make a major di erence in our local communities,
cultures and the environment.
COMPOST KITCHEN WASTE:
 Aim to use as much food as you can from your
kitchen and use many of the sma left-over ideas
of common cookbooks.
 Some useless raw waste will make the garden
composst fe ilizer.
 Prevent the use of chemical fe ilizers to reduce
harmful environmental e ects.
CARPOOL OR USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MORE
OFTEN:
 Carpooling or using public transpo can lower the
transpo ation costs and reduce carbon emissions from
vehicle more often.
 If eve individual acquires the practice of using bus to
go on work once a while, the air quality in several cities
would be greatly a ected.
PLANT MORE TREES:
 Planting more plants and trees has numerous
environmental, economic and social advantages. Trees
improve the air quality of the place in which people live
through carbon dioxide absorption and oxygen releases,
and provide food and shade.
 A standard tree can clean approximately 330 pounds of
carbon dioxide each year, while oxygen is provided for
the whole community. Trees also combat geenhouse
e ects, minimize and cooling pressures and thereby
conse e energy. Trees will also save us from climate
change, natural disasters, and disasters.
What's the
bene t?
 Resource Conse ation: Sustainable practices help in conse ing
natural resources such as water, soil, and forests. is ensures
that these resources remain available for future generations.
 Climate Change Mitigation: Sustainable practices often involve
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which helps in mitigating
the e ects of climate change. is includes reducing
deforestation, promoting renewable energy, and improving
energy e ciency.
 Improved Air and Water Quality: Sustainable practices often
involve reducing pollution from industrial processes,
transpo ation, and other sources. is leads to improved air
and water quality, bene ting human health and the environment.
 Enhanced Biodiversity: Sustainable practices aim to protect
and restore ecosystems, which helps in maintaining the
balance of species and preventing the extinction of various
plant and animal species.
 Economic Bene ts: Environmental sustainability can lead to
economic bene ts such as job creation in the green sector,
reduced healthcare costs due to improved air and water
quality, and cost savings from resource conse ation.
 Social Bene ts: Sustainable practices can lead to improved
living conditions, access to clean water, and better health
outcomes, pa icularly for vulnerable communities.
 Education and Awareness: Promoting environmental
sustainability fosters awareness and understanding of
environmental issues, encouraging individuals and
communities to adopt sustainable practices and become
stewards of the environment.
“ We have to simultaneously recognize
that oppressed communities are more
severely impacted by environmental
d e g r a d a t i o n , ”
- W e i n s t e i n
Examples of Sustainability
SNHU’s Environmental Sustainability Strategic Plan has four prima
areas of focus
 Academics: Creating a positive environment with oppo unities for all
learners to become engaged with sustainability.
 Community engagement: Fostering a culture of sustainability at all
levels and being recognized within local communities.
 Operations: e work behind the scenes, where processes such as
carbon neutrality are followed through to ensure day-to-day
operations are suppo ing sustainability.
 Planning and administration: Organizing and maintaining goals while
being transparent on progress. Tools such as the O ce of
Sustainability and the Environmental Sustainable Strategic Plan are
instrumental in conducting planning and administration.