Facing the reality
“We don’t have time to sit on our hands as our planet burns. For young people, climate change is bigger than election or re-election. It's life or death." - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
You could assume that this will be another text about climate change where you will learn facts and I will discuss how terrible everything you do is. But no, I just want to show of the reality.
It is really tough to change our whole living into a climate neutral way and, as some could say, "live poorly" after everything we own and have. For the past few years, the globe has been constantly changing. From Paris to Stockholm, we may go by plane in two hours for even less than 50 euros. By train, it would take us an additional 20 hours. We can request a 15-minute delivery if we neglected to buy milk. And with the aid of Amazon Prime, items from all over the world can arrive the following day. By doing so, we are able to select the finest from 1,000 aircraft businesses, 20 varieties of milk, and the ability to transport items anywhere in the world. Why therefore should we give it up and invest considerably more money in environmentally friendly methods?
The following scenario is well-known to all. You need fruits and vegetables, so you go grocery shopping. They have sustainable bags you can use, but you have to pay for them. Because plastic would otherwise be used. You decide to buy them since you can reuse them repeatedly and you think it's a good decision. When you go grocery shopping again, you will be in the same situation but will have left your bags at home. You take the plastic ones this time or the paper ones if they are available because you forgot the sustainable bags for which you paid. You tell yourself "this time is fine, I'll think about it next time". Nevertheless, the following time you forgot them once more because they were in the bag you forgot at home. It's going so on.
Same situation is with taking the car. (This fits not for all of us but most) You have a decent bus connection and live 4 kilometres from the city centre. But since you need to get somewhere quickly, you drive. Next time, when I have more time, I'll take the bus or a bicycle, you remark. But, you never did it since you would always arrive late. That won't work if you don't factor the time in your timetable.
Going shopping is another scenario. We were socialised as children to dress in items like jeans, t-shirts, pullovers, and so forth. Most of the time, we desire the most recent and fashionable ones. Imagine you are someone who tries to limit how many clothes they own and how frequently they purchase. But even then, there will come a day when you wish for a change of clothes. You make the choice to shop. Most of the stores provide new clothes in addition to percentages. You purchase some of the new collection because you are drawn to it. After that, you convince yourself, "Well, I only buy new clothes once a month, therefore it's acceptable", despite the fact that such garments were produced in Bangladesh by a young child.
Everyone knows at least one of these situations. I count myself in too.
Being distinct from the majority of people makes it difficult to quit a habit. Being mindful of sustainable options constantly is challenging. Therefore that, regrettably, they are not always written on it. However, there are discrepancies even if it is. There are many tactics behind something just because it has a badge that indicates that it is supposed to be environmentally friendly. In the end, we are encouraging the devastation of the rainforest.
Knowing all of this, why try it and strive harder when there is an easy way instead? And why should we add stress to the already high level of stress in our daily lives? In other words, the likelihood that you and I will still be alive when the world ends is not very high.
But what about your offspring, including your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren? What might happen to them does it matter to you? Even though you won't be living when the world ends, some members of your family might. What does family mean to you then? How important are your loved ones to you?
If they matter to you, you and me need to change our habits despite from all standards of the world. Every time we don't live sustainably, we need to think about how much more it will cost us than the options we have right now.
To be honest, no one can stop doing something from now on. There are just moments when existence is simply too difficult to sustain. If you are from Germany and are accepting a job offer in the US, you probably want to see your family both now and later.
But how you handle certain situations is entirely up to you. Yet it's a good start to find a middle ground. Because there is a significant difference between seeing them twice a year for only two weeks and visiting them every two years for a longer period of time and neutralise your fly with atmosfair.de.
And in our daily life are thousand of these choices we can make to find a good and sustainable middle ground without giving up all of the standards.
Most people have a phone and take it everywhere with them nowadays. Therefore I have some apps which are free and help you to be sustainable in your daily life.
1. Too Good To Go: End of Food Waste - use the app to rescue Surprise Bags filled with delicious, unsold food from businesses near you.
2. NABU Siegel-Check (Label-check) - make a picture of the label and check if this product is environmentally friendly.
3. CodeCheck: Product Scanner - analyse food and cosmetics about their ingredients.
4. Ecosia - browse to plant trees, use Ecosia whenever you need to search for something, and you'll instantly earn more points towards a tree planting.
5. RegioApp - find regional markets, food and stores.
(It's possible that not all apps function properly in every nation.)
You can take care of yourself by buying food that is plastic-free and sustainable even if you don't want to use a phone.
Also, you can include the time required to take a bike or bus in your schedule. You can exercise as you ride by bike, and you can work while you drive if you take the bus.
And if you believe it is too expensive to live sustainably. Yes, initially, it might be, but every item you're purchasing is made to last a lot longer. Sustainable entails durability and simplicity. You purchase the essentials rather than the newest fashions. You can also browse the second-hand shops in your area to not buy everything brand new.
Sustainable living does not need faultless execution of every action. It is about considering our environment when making decisions and attempting to live better every day.
Otherwise your and my grandkids pay the cost.
Let's protect their future.
It always seems impossible until it is done. - Nelson Mandela
But if you want to become more active. Let me present to you "Extinction Rebellion". They are using the same quote from Nelson Mandela.
Extinction Rebellion is made up of people from all walks of life, different backgrounds, cultures, and political affiliations - people like you, coming together to create a different story. We know the crisis we are facing, and we want to change the future. This fight is all of ours, and we all need to be willing to stand up for the truth and face it together. Solving the climate and ecological crisis is by no means simple, and humans evolved to prioritize nearsighted benefits over long-term consequences. The climate and ecological crisis is the ultimate test of these opposing demands. It is a slow moving freight train, affecting some while others not at all, but eventually, this crisis will break down our fragile globalized economy and interconnected systems.
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