Sustainability is living in a way where we meet our current generation's needs while also not jeopardizing the needs of future generations.
UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALSIn 2015, the United Nations created 17 goals targeting several global issues such as poverty, hungry, education, gender equality, etc. The hope is for the world to achieve this goal by 2030. The Zero Waste Movement can be seen as a step or a solution to goal 12, responsible consumption and production.
To the right: click to expand to view all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. |
GOAL #12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
To consume and produce responsibly means to have consumption and production practices that will have minimal impact on the environment and minimal use of toxic or natural resources. Responsible consumption and production ensures that human activity remains within the Earth's carrying capacity.
The Zero Waste Movement can be seen as a step to or a solution of responsible consumption and production. The Zero Waste Movement stresses the need to reduce our consumption and stray away from the current societal trends of consumerism. As for some tips to starting a Zero Waste lifestyle from an everyday life viewpoint, the most important step is to reduce the amount of packaging we buy. As we buy less packaging and reduce our waste, we contribute less to landfills and incinerators. This is a crucial component to achieving responsible consumption and production. By making small everyday changes in the Zero Waste lifestyle, such as bringing jars grocery shopping to avoid purchasing packaging, we are able to produce less waste to consume and produce more sustainably.
|
HOW TO REACH RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTIONThe best way to achieve responsible consumption and production is to reduce. Reducing the amount of things you buy will allow you to overall produce less waste. Any essentials you need in your everyday life that cannot be reduced should be recycled or composted. Another great solution is to find substitutes. For example, instead of using a plastic water bottle everyday, you can buy a reusable water bottle.
As the solutions to reaching responsible consumption and production include several practices a also Zero Waste Lifestyle includes, such as recycling/composting and finding substitutes, focusing on producing zero waste will essentially lead us to also achieving the goal of having responsible consumption and production practices. Thus, the Zero Waste Movement clearly reflects the principles of sustainable development and helps us move towards sustainable living through the reduction of waste. |