Blogprompt1

What action could you (in theory) undertake that would improve the sustainability of your lifestyle? What might be preventing you from doing these?


Life is a journey full of surprises, happiness, and sadness. The subject of sustainable living has always been a difficult one for me to deal with. To maintain a desired lifestyle, I need to be cautious of how .such a way of life would impact on others who are sharing the same natural resources on this planet earth now and in future.

In order to maintain a sustainable consumption, I need to eat well and have a balanced diet that includes the recommended 5 a day. The food and drinks I take should be rich in nutrients. The world today is offering genetically modified junk food and fizzy drinks for the fast lives. Healthy food and drinks are available on the supermarket shelves; however, the prices are often out of reach. This may result in me having ill health due to malnutrition or obesity. Ill health hampers sustainable economic and social development due to work absences, hospital bills and poor family relationships.

I need to go to the gym and do other fitness exercises on my own e.g. walking to college because my body needs regular physical exercise. Unfortunately I do not have enough time due to work, college and family commitments. Given the tight day to day running costs and schedules, some of the activities become more of a pleasure than a necessity. Sometimes I just do not have the interest and initiative.

The free health for all in the UK is appreciated so I regularly consult the doctor to monitor my health. Medication is at my disposal in chemists. The treatment process is often too long so I usually end up cancelling appointments. Nevertheless, recommended medication is not always affordable. I tend to buy over the counter cheaper medicines which may have a high risk of side effects. As a result I fail to maintain a sustainable health status.

I use energy to keep my house warm using the central heating system and to run all the electrical gadgets. In one of their adverts, Sky’s claim is that if all active skyboxes were switched to ‘standby’, enough energy could be saved to light all the homes in Birmingham for a whole year. Sustainable consumption of energy requires us to use energy economically. My disposable income is not enough to meet high energy bills. The more energy I use the more harm I cause to the planet.

My desire is to own a good home and a big vehicle that give me prestige and fame. I can travel to places of interest as and when I want. Morden modes of transport and green resorts contribute positively to the environment, social and economic growth of the
society. Generally expensive cars produce more grams/kilometre of carbon emissions. Financial constraints and recession also make it impossible for me to buy a good vehicle and a dream home.

I would like to live happily with my spouse, friends and the society as a whole. Together we can enjoy the available resources on our planet. My wish is to contribute to the promotion of peace and human dignity in my community. Unfortunately it is difficult to achieve these goals because the society is identified in the context of ethnicity, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Relations within a community are thereby constrained by differences in opinion, perception, imbalance in standard of living and violation of human rights.Given what I have experienced in life, it appears to maintain a sustainable lifestyle is difficult. The onus is on governments and organisations to work on improving their ability to meet present and future needs of the people. I believe that goals of economic and social development must continue to be defined in terms of sustainability.