Putting things in the trash instead of recycling them correctly is harmful for our planet. Among other things, it contributes to the pollution of our soil, oceans and water sources.
Start a compost bin at your house, separate and recycle plastic, glass bottles and cans correctly. Use reusable containers and buy a durable drink bottle. These small changes all contribute to BIG effects on our environment, and if we don't do it; who will? Now that you are awar e of the small changes we can all make to generate a big impact on the environment, you can get started!
There are many more things we can do, b ut we want you to enjoy life and not spend your life reading our blog , SO Order by November 15th for delivery before thanksgiving. Create Account. First of all, what is sustainability? We must strive to meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations.
Yes, quite naturally. Just as personal wellness is about a long-term living and existence, wellness and sustainability are linked philosophically and in practice because they have the natural environment as a common denominator.
Walking is not only an excellent exercise for mind and spirit, it also reduces the need to rely on a vehicle to travel short distances. Also, both personal wellness and sustainability reduce costs: better health reduces family insurance premiums, while resource efficiency reduces bottom-line costs. Learn more about sustainability work on campus and participate in our sustainability campaigns.
In this way, acting sustainably encompasses a temporal framework of decades instead of a few months or years and considers more than the profit or loss involved in the short run. A couple of different examples of sustainability depending on the industry can be found right ahead:. The use of electronic devices is growing every day. Nonetheless, these devices are made of Earth minerals extracted by the mining industry. Mining can be a very polluting industry and the development of new sites certainly has an impact on deforestation.
Therefore, being sustainable in the tech field has a lot to do with using your devices for a long period — so if you want to be sustainable resist you must resist switching your smartphone every other year! It is also about making sure you get disposed of them in a responsible way as can be very polluting if not handled properly. Soon, sustainability in technology will also be about how the mostly lithium-ion batteries of electric cars and solar panels will be disposed of. Companies focusing on recycling these batteries and building products whose core car be maintained and replaced for a new battery will also be the ones at the forefront.
Fashion, especially fast fashion, focuses on speed and low cost to frequently deliver new collections. Nonetheless, the problem with this industry its negative environmental impact. On one hand, fast-growing cotton generally requires the use of industrial, toxic chemicals pesticides and fertilizers that often causes soil pollution and depletion and water eutrophication.
In this way, if a company makes clothes with resistant materials, uses sustainably produced cotton, applies circular economy principles across its value chain and uses less toxic chemicals: it is being responsible with the environment. These would be an example of sustainability within the fashion industry.
At the same time, sustainability is also about being socially responsible. If you pay attention most labels show that clothes are being made in distant places such as China, Bangladesh or Vietnam. There are many documentaries about this issue. People in these countries often women and children usually get really low wages and work under bad conditions. They can hardly improve their social situation and most times keep on working just to pay the bills and survive.
This largely contributes to the inequality we see in the world since in the rich went richer and the poor poorer, according to an Oxfam report.
So unless someone is driving a car with 4 or 5 passengers, taking public transportation, especially trains but also buses, are more sustainable choices. Today, there are even more sophisticated solutions to reduce the pollution caused by moving around. At a vehicle level, the popularity and industry development of alternatives like electric cars or even hydrogen cars or electric scooters are growing at a high rate.
At the same time, solutions like carpooling, where through which drivers can get their cars empty and save some money and pollution are great alternatives. Not to mention the fact that more companies are letting their employees working from home or remotely, allowing them to save polluting kilometers.
The zero-waste movement is a lifestyle that encourages people to use all types of resources in a circular way , just like the natural world does. Therefore, the ultimate goal of this philosophy is to avoid resources to follow a linear route and end up as trash in the oceans or landfills. The movement is also very well known by people taking their own bulks to shops to buy commodities such as chickpeas, rice, or liquid soap. The goal is clear: not to take any trash home. And so is the enemy: plastic.
A company that tries to grow its crops by not using or using few toxic pesticides, focusing instead on organic farming and biomimicry practices is certainly a less polluting one.
If it pays fair wages to its employees and manages to still be competitive on the market, it is then being responsible when it comes to profit, people and planet. Workplaces can also be organized in sustainable ways. For instance, companies betting on new technologies, becoming paperless or providing conditions and training for employees to recycle are being careful about waste management. If it is economically viable, the company could install solar panels and power its operations with this energy.
At the same time, the company would be using renewable energy , which is especially important in places where the electricity grid works mostly on fossil fuels. The raw materials used, how they are sourced and from where, whether products are designed with eco-design principles in mind or distribution optimization are also areas with for room for improvement when it comes to sustainability. Remote workers have the same impact on the environment as planting a forest of trees: they eliminate 3.
Working remotely also helps people avoid health risks associated with commuting. Despite the rise of digital technology, many organizations still use more paper than necessary.
Computers, smartphones, and other devices are integrated into the workplace; use them to their fullest extent and avoid using paper whenever possible. Selecting a team of volunteers who are responsible for sustainability initiatives in the workplace can do wonders for your efforts. It creates accountability — there are people specifically responsible for this, and they can take care to follow up with others and bolster a culture of sustainability in the workplace.
Moreover, a committee will keep the ideas flowing. Task them with talking to other employees about challenges and ideas, and give them the power to make decisions. Clean Air Partnership : Resources and information to help minimize pollution.
Corporate Knights : Magazine for clean capitalism. Department of Energy : Energy economy page with resources for small businesses, data, and workforce training information. Energy Star : Government-certified appliances and buildings that conserve energy. Environmental Protection Agency : The EPA has information and resources for water conservation, green products, services, and chemicals, pollution prevention, sustainability, as well as green meetings and conferences.
Fair Trade Certified : Resource for accessing fair trade supplies and certification. Fair Trade Federation : Community of U. Global Reporting Initiative : An international organization for sustainability reporting. Green Team Blueprint for Action : Guidelines for a team approach to improving air quality.
Lungs at Work Toolkit : A toolkit to help improve air quality at work. Responsible Purchasing Network : An international network of buyers dedicated to socially responsible and environmentally sustainable purchasing. Ridefinders : A commuter portal for finding carpools and vanpools. Business Communication Etiquette. Skip to main content. Apply Program Guide. Why Is Sustainability Important in Business? Over million people will be displaced from their homes by if business continues as usual.
Who Can Improve Business Sustainability? Business Owners and Organizational Leaders Effecting change throughout an organization takes organizational leadership training and skills to make effective top-down decisions.
Business Administrators, Managers, and Supervisors Administrators, managers, and supervisors have unique insights into the day-to-day operations of a business. Challenges to Improving Sustainability in Business Though sustainability has many positive impacts on business, it can also be challenging to actually implement these changes.
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