more greener less meaner

It was Mahatma Ghandi who said “Be the change you want to see in the world“. The truth of this cannot be over emphasized. After hours of research and reading up on the topics of sustainability & ethics I am left with the thought that I have to start changing my own habits before I can criticize environmental policies of others.

There are endless ways in which individuals knowingly or unknowingly harm the environment and thereby contribute to the poor quality of life for all living beings.

Here in South Africa we seem to have almost no environmentally friendly policies which filter down to the individual apart from the new regulations which were brought in regarding plastic shopping bags. It seems the idea was short lived as super-markets are back to handing out cheaper thinner alternatives for those who would rather not pay for their plastic bags. I can’t say I disagree with the shopping bag policies but i do feel we could all do with some stricter laws governing the waste we produce and how we dispose of it.

The truth is, down to the last plastic bag, chemical down the drain, daiper in land fills or plastic container in the trash we can make a difference as individuals by adopting better product selection, waste disposal methods and energy conservation.

Below are a couple of links I found while trying to research how I can alter my own habits to make an individual difference -

http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/el/sustainability/what_you_can_do_individuals.asp

http://www.globalgreen.org.za/research.htm

Here are some valuable green resources for those involved in the design, production and marketing of products.

http://www.greenmarketing.com/Green_Marketing_Book/Green_Marketing_Book.html

http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm

The first step is to acknowledge that there is a problem after which we have to inform ourselves about the causes and possible solutions. It starts with changing your own behavior and should then hopefully permeate outward into your surroundings, family, neighbourhood, workplace. When enough of us take action we can get the snowball moving.

Go forth, recycle, save water and be well!!!