“Sustainability”, a concept which entered our lives with the report titled “Our Common Future” published by the United Nations in 1987 and that we have encountered frequently recently, is defined as “rendering a permanent human life while providing continuous production and diversity”. Changing habits, developing technology and increasing consumption since the date of the report’s publication have unfortunately extended the barriers to sustainable life. Although non-governmental organizations, foundations, associations and various brands have taken important steps towards sustainability, individual actions are also important in this regard… You can make your daily habits sustainable by making very small changes, and take a step to leave a habitable world to future generations.
Many threats such as depletion of world resources, acceleration of industrialization, discordant production and consumption indices, the increase in environmental pollution, the inability to reach a sufficient level of renewable energy sources prove that it is now a necessity to transition to a sustainable life. The special report prepared by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is remarkable: The report, which reveals through research that if the temperature of our planet increases by another 1.5 degrees, we will be entering an irreversible path and that we are on the verge of a climate crisis, also emphasizes that every individual must take action on sustainable living habits before crossing the critical limit. Putting a stop to this bad trend may just be possible with small changes we can make. We have compiled for you in five items, information regarding how you can make your daily habits sustainable;
1- Plant a Sapling for Every Internet Search with Ecosia
Did you know that every two searches you do on Google consumes as much energy as required to heat a litre of water? In order to use energy resources more accurately and effectively, you can easily add the Ecosia application to your browser and contribute to the planting of one sapling per search. You can make your daily internet searches sustainable with the Ecosia application, which currently acts as intermediary for planting of 147,221,563 saplings. You can give this application a chance, which you can easily add to your browser via Google Chrome’s web store. Chrome Extension Link
2- Prefer Long-lasting Technological Products
Internet and smart devices made their ways into our life, making it easier step by step with smart home systems, smartphones, smartwatches and so on. Thanks to these products, through which we can easily access information even in the most difficult moments, we can easily solve the problems we encounter in daily life. These smart devices make our lives easier but they also cause technological equipment waste. Plastic and metal waste, which occur during production, remain intact in nature for many years and pollute the soil are still among the problems that have not been fully resolved. It is quite easy to prevent the further growth of technology waste; instead of upgrading the devices you purchase every year, you can make long-term usage plans. Instead of storing your photographs, documents, videos etc. on external hard disks, you can archive them in cloud systems which you can rent with monthly or yearly payments. The biggest advantage of using cloud systems is that you can access your content anytime, anywhere.
3- Measure Your Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint, which is a measurement of the damage caused by human activities to the environment in terms of carbon dioxide, is directly proportional to people’s consumption habits. In many areas from financial services to the use of electricity, individual and public transportation services, the preferred methods continue to increase the amount of greenhouse gas. Industrial choices, which has been in contradiction with the principle of sustainability, have set the world into a path which leads to a point of no return. To leave a habitable world for the future, prevent exhaustion of the Earth’s resources and live a healthier life, we need to take control of our individual and collective energy consumption. You can easily measure your carbon footprint in this link by entering information regarding your energy consumption at home, your flight and road travel information, your consumption habits and your lifestyle. To reduce your carbon footprint, you can start by using sustainable energy resources.
4- Recycle Your Waste with the Biriktir Application
For a sustainable world, it is very important to segregate waste and use recyclable products. Especially plastic packages and glass bottles with chemical contents are among the arteries of recycling. As many of us know, plastic and glass waste remain intact in nature for hundreds of years and pollute both soil and underground spring waters. The Biriktir application, designed by three students from Gebze Technical University, helps everyone prevent this pollution. You can get the application from Google Play Store and Apple Store for free. When you log in the application with your e-mail address, you can see the amounts of waste collection around you. If you contribute to the budding application, you get the chance to win gift tokens from many brands and you can convert your Environment Points to saplings to be planted by Kartal Municipality.
5- Avoid Waste of Water
The ever-diminishing water resources is both a problem and a global threat, and we can create individual and collective solutions for it. You can save water by using small tap apparatuses which range between ₺20 and ₺50, which regulates water pressure to your liking and prevents dripping and leaking. Instead of washing dishes by hand, you can wash your dishes in the dishwasher. Compared to hand washing, dishwashers allow more dishes to be washed with much less water. In addition, you can choose spray cleaning mops for house cleaning and prevent buckets of water from getting dirty