Many treat sustainable living as a chore and postpone their plans connected with sustainability, viewing it as a boundary of their freedom. Others view the summer time as a chance to improve their habits and start living more eco-friendly. This guide is supposed to act as an introduction in the application of the second point of view in real life.
Pollution - even though there are many different kinds of it what most have in common these days is that they are caused by humans. A question that often arises in debates concerning pollution is: Is there anything we can actually do to help eliminate it? And is it actually our fault? Many people believe that the big industries are the ones responsible for most of the waste created. This however, is not always true, because as households get smaller, the proportionally smaller amount of food or necessities is often put in packaging that uses just as much plastic, and creates just as much plastic pollution. That’s why buying fruit and vegetables at your local markets, that have a lot to offer, especially in the summer, can be much more sustainable, but can also be an opportunity to purchase food of better quality than in chain stores. It also supports local farming and agriculture hence having an overall positive impact on the economy and the environment.
While spending your summer, for instance visiting museums, exhibitions or just crowded places in general, it is important to remember about the Covid-19 restrictions. A big step towards being both safe and eco-friendly is choosing a reusable face mask. Many reusable face masks are just as good as the single use, disposable ones. Some of them have multiple layers of cloth, or even HEPA filters. Furthermore, they don’t create tons of contaminated waste and are much cheaper. Nevertheless, it is crucial to clean your reusable mask regularly, for example by using hot water and an unscented detergent.
According to a survey that we conducted, an issue that many people struggle with is wasting, or generally using too much water. This issue is especially prominent when its warmer, but is actually quite easy to resolve. The two most important things to do is conservation, and cutting down on your water use. You can use rain water to water your plants, these inside your house too. To save the rain water just set up a pretty vase on your balcony, that will catch it, so that you can use it later. Making sure your faucets are in good condition can also help to preserve the water that you wouldn’t have used anyway. Taking showers instead of baths can too, decease your water consumption. Buying your food sustainably, and from sources that are open with how they farm and produce their products, is also crucial, as farming takes up nearly 70% of our fresh water resources. For example, cutting down on meat can also help you preserve water as its production process requires using a lot of it.
Commuting is mentioned often when it comes to it being eco-friendly, so this paragraph will be more of a revision. Obviously, hiking, cycling or any other way of transport that doesn’t pollute the environment, and is beneficial for our physical health would be the best to choose during the summer. Preplanning your journeys, so that they use the least amount of unsustainable transport is also a good idea. For example, if your schedule is tight and you need to get somewhere quickly, use public transport and then return home by foot as you’ll have more time later. Choosing public transport can also be a good option if you’re in the city and it’s available.
Be careful with air conditioning! In 2007 a study aiming to assess the effect of air conditioning in Tokyo was conducted by Yukitaka Ohashi, Yutaka Genchi, Hiroaki Yoshikado et al.. Using a special simulation, it aimed to measure how air conditioning affects the climate in Tokyo. According to the simulation, air conditioning actually increased the urban heat island by even 2 degrees Celsius. Despite the difference in climate that can be observed between Poland and Japan, it is important to keep in mind that what refreshes us in the summer can actually contribute to the problem that we are trying to fight. Make sure not to use air conditioning when you don’t need it, or open your windows at night and get some house plants instead if possible.
Even though being mindful of your environment in the summer can be a great step towards being more eco-friendly. According to a study conducted by Stewart Barr, Gareth Shaw, Tim Coles et al. in 2010 it is extremely significant to embed the eco-friendly habits in your daily life. I hope you find these tips useful and that they’ll help you with your sustainable journey, good luck!!
Main Sources:
Ohashi, Y., Genchi, Y., Kondo, H., Kikegawa, Y., Yoshikado, H., & Hirano, Y. (2007). Influence of air-conditioning waste heat on air temperature in Tokyo during summer: Numerical experiments using an urban canopy model coupled with a building energy model. Journal of Applied Meteorology and climatology, 46(1), 66-81.
Barr, S., Shaw, G., Coles, T., & Prillwitz, J. (2010). ‘A holiday is a holiday’: practicing sustainability, home and away. Journal of Transport Geography, 18(3), 474-481.
Access date: 25/05/2021
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