Environmentalism
Do you feel overwhelmed when you hear about the environmental crisis our world is currently facing? Climate change, soil erosion, water scarcity – these are terms we’ve all become too familiar with. What if I told you there is a way we can directly contribute to mitigating these issues right in our own backyards? This solution is called permaculture, a unique approach to sustainable living that anyone can adopt, no matter how green (or not so green) your thumb may be.
Silent Spring, a book by Rachel Carson*
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring alerted a large audience to the environmental and human dangers of pesticides, spurring revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Despite condemnation in the press and heavy-handed attempts by the chemical industry to ban the book, Carson succeeded in creating a new public awareness of the environment which led to changes in government and inspired the ecological movement. It is thanks to this book, and the help of many environmentalists, that harmful pesticides such as DDT were banned from use in the US and countries around the world.
The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
The meaning of each of the Three Rs is:
- Reduce: consume fewer articles, less stuff, less energy
- Reuse: reuse already acquired items, extend their lifespan
- recycle: rocess waste materials so they can be used again
Now, it is understood that first one should strive to reduce consumption as much as possible. If this still results in waste, try to reuse it. Nevertheless, not all waste can be reused or repurposed. Last, the goods should be recycled either by upcycling or downcycling.