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GreenMatch","yoastHead":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\n","template":"content-and-sidebar.php","contentTitle":"Overcoming the Challenges of Sustainable Living","content":"\n
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Overcoming the Challenges of Sustainability

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Our favourite bloggers share their stories

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The new year is almost upon us, and that list of resolutions won’t write itself. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re either living a sustainable life, or interested in pursuing a greener lifestyle. In that case, changing your habits might feel scary or just damn annoying. For that reason, we asked our favourite bloggers to share what they perceive are the biggest challenges of sustainability, and how you can put them behind your. Here’s what they answered.

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\"1\"
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“Our biggest challenge was finding balance, figuring out what worked for us and what did not. There were no books or blogs on how to do Zero Waste when we started in 2008. So I googled alternatives and tested many recipes and how-to’s. But I eventually got too wrapped up into homemaking: At one point, I was making cheese, bread, yogurt, soy milk, butter, etc. Some of these ideas were too extreme, too time consuming, and we later dropped them for the sake of simplicity. For example, we realized that there was no need for us to make bread if we could buy it unpackaged either directly from the bakery or from the bakery bins.

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Since 2009, we have Zero Waste on auto-pilot in our home. It is easy and natural for us. We found that for Zero Waste to be sustainable in a household, one has to adopt alternatives that fit his/her schedule, are feasible in the long run, and suit his/her regional customs.” 

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\"3\"
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“The biggest challenge I have had to overcome in adopting a sustainable lifestyle has been accepting that you have to pick your battles. Any goods or services that we buy or utilise have an impact on the Planet, some more so than others, and it can be pretty difficult to get a product or service that is 100% ethical or sustainable. My take on sustainable living means that I make decisions based on my purchasing values. Which may, for example, see me buying an imported product over a more locally based one because I can’t source the local one without packaging and I value a packaging free lifestyle. This is not an ideal situation but you have to do what feels best to you. It can be easy to get ‘hung up’ on the fact that our species existence on the planet is having a negative impact no matter what and compassion fatigue is a real and dangerously demotivating feeling. But as long as you stay true to your personal values you know you are doing the best you can with what you have available and hopefully feel good about yourself.”

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\"4\"
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“I see the biggest challenge being availability. I think many people would like to choose sustainability, and also pay a little extra, but if they cannot find the products where they usually shop, they will give up. I think there are many ways to overcome it – I am trying myself to inform my peers and readers about the endless possibilities online, and the sporadic physical shop. I hope shops will do their part too, and feature the product that are more sustainable and fair. It needs to be easy and convenient to choose sustainable fashion, and I believe it will be more and more easy in the future, but right now, it is the biggest challenge.”

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\"5\"
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“The most common roadblock towards leading a more sustainable lifestyle among my friends, family and social network is the perception of effort. Many people see sustainable living as something that will require depriving themselves of daily pleasures and experiences, which is simply not true! The concept of sustainability as put forth by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in Cradle to Cradle is what inspired me to begin making changes in my life. That concept is that sustainability means “abundance for all, forever.” Abundance being the key word; living sustainably is not like going on a diet. I enjoy much more delicious food, more exciting personal style, and more meaningful experiences with loved ones and new acquaintances now that I try to bring a sustainable outlook into my everyday life.

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So my advice to anyone looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle is this; really think about what you need in your life and take this transition one step at a time. Small changes are much more realistic than doing a complete overhaul on your life, and that behavior is actually more sustainable because it means that you can continue to change for the better indefinitely! When you take a moment to think about what you truly need, and what will be good for your physical and emotional well-being, it becomes very easy to make sustainable lifestyle choices.”

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\"6\"
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“First of all, I think people are often confused as to what exactly is sustainable or more sustainable than conventional alternatives. It’s hard enough for experts in the field to precisely calculate the environmental impact of a fabric or a certain process versus another, the real answer is that many factors influence what ends up costing more to the environment and simply using materials and products that sound more eco-friendly, for example, is not enough; the entire process has to be considered: water used, chemical treatment, origin of raw materials, among others. So, for the consumer, when trying to accurately select sustainable products, they are faced with a lot of marketing and very little science, which makes the job harder.

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The other issue is price: many of these sustainable products are marked up and targeted to a higher-income demographic, creating a sense of exclusivity and many times capping who gets to have access to such products. The third one is the perception that making more environmentally sustainable choices implies buying a lot of new things. Daily actions that aim to save water, reduce the use of plastic, eating less carbon intensive foods and being mindful of our overall ecological footprint could be more important than buying a different kind of laundry soap, but changing habits is a lot harder than swiping your credit card. For me, staying informed and getting my news from academic and scientific sources, rather than for profit websites or manufacturers themselves, is the best way to spot inconsistencies and make better decisions.”

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\"7\"
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“I think be biggest challenge people face is feeling like the problem is too big and their efforts won’t make a difference or will be wasted. I think we’ve also become so jaded by advertising that we don’t trust companies who claim to be “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” any more, and most people don’t know where to start looking for answers as to which products are really helping the earth. Essentially, people are overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and of the array of products to choose from.

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The way to overcome it is to believe in yourself! You CAN make a difference and every little bit helps. It sounds cliche, but it really is true! Imagine if every person in North America switched to eco-friendly household cleaner, or exclusively bought recycled paper towels. What a difference that would make! Use websites like the Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) to quickly check how safe and sustainable your products are. Also, give yourself time! When I started my sustainability journey, I decided to give myself over two years to sort through all the mess! Start just by changing cleaners – you may have to try a few before you find your favourite! Then move on to makeup, paper goods, and so on.”

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\"8\"
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“I believe that the biggest challenge most people face when trying to be sustainable is simply getting started. We constantly have figures and statistics about the sorry state of our planet force fed to us by the media, and I am not denying that knowledge is incredibly important, but I know to many people this can be overwhelming. When a situation seems as irreversibly bad as our current climate situation, people feel disempowered and are less likely to be excited by the process of tackling the problem. Being such a small part of such an enormous problem can also lead people to shoulder the blame onto bigger corporations, or governments.

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I strongly believe that the way to combat this is to understand that any choice, however small, is valuable. We can only become a greener society if we all decide individually to make small steps towards sustainability – be it growing more of your own fruit and veg, choosing to source a percentage of your wardrobe from charity/vintage shops, or committing to take public transport for certain days of the week. The cumulative effect of these small actions will bring about change. So my advice is get started! Don’t think your contribution is not important, or outweighed by the negative actions of huge firms and corporations, because that is simply not true.”

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\"Ariell\"
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The biggest challenge in choosing to make sustainable purchases is accessibility. Depending on where in the world you live, you may not have access to information about sustainable products or to the products themselves. Even if you live in the US or UK where more and more “green” products show up in stores every day, they’re still not available in many categories of goods. Fashion is a big one. There is a lot of sustainable fashion out there, but you have to know where to look. Someday I hope to see eco-friendly and ethical labels on clothing like we see organic or Fair Trade certifications on coffee.

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In the meantime, my advice is to spend just a little time to seek out one or two high-quality, long-lasting pieces that are sustainably made. I wear a watch almost every day that’s made from scrap wood. People compliment it all the time, and I tell them where I got it and a little about the company. That’s how the movement spreads. The more demand we as consumers create, the more accessible sustainable products will be.”

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\"Nataliebanner\"
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“I feel the biggest challenge people face when choosing a more sustainable lifestyle is the lack of alternatives in their own environment. Lots of towns are still playing catch up to this concept, and people are still learning the meaning of a sustainable lifestyle. Here in my own city, stores do not recycle and there are no recycle bins on the streets. The only ‘green’ retailer I know of, closed its doors recently. It’s truly difficult to create a sustainable life when your own town is not embracing it.

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The best way to overcome this problem is to change the minds around you. Choosing a sustainable route in your own home (it is easy to find info & products online) isn’t enough, you have to start the conversation with the people surrounding you. I truly believe it is a domino effect. I’ve noticed it with my friends and family! We just have to remember, sustainability encompasses several things – society, economics & the environment. We need all three of these working together to create a truly sustainable community.”

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\"Julia\"
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“Many people think sustainability is such a large issue that their individual actions are just a drop in the bucket. They feel overwhelmed by their inability to do it all at once, so they lose the motivation to do anything at all. The trick to overcoming this mental block is taking baby steps. Focus on changing one small thing at a time, and over time your new habits will add up to a real, positive impact.” 

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“I think the biggest obstacle for many – and certainly for myself – is overwhelm. When you start considering your consumer and lifestyle choices and how they impact people and planet, you fall down a rabbit hole. You realize that there are hundreds of things you could do better and it’s easy to get lost in the feeling that you’ll never be able to do enough. 

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That’s why I try to employ the sociological concept of “small wins,” breaking down the big problem of living sustainably into small chunks. I may not be able to install solar panels today, but I can switch to reusable personal and home care products, like menstrual pads, cotton rounds, and food packaging. I may not be able to purchase a completely sustainable garment, but I can better use the things I already own. I think it’s also important to recognize that the biggest impact we can make starts at home, both through our personal lifestyle choices and our local activism. Get out there and talk to people about your passion to live more sustainably. You can’t change the world in one day, but your voice can carry far enough to impact a few. And word-of-mouth activism carries more weight than the most elaborate advertising campaign ever will.”

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英国环保,一次一个房子
媒体与推荐
最后更新:2023年2月1日

克服可持续性的挑战

我们最喜欢的博客分享他们的故事

新的一年快到了,决议不会写自己的列表。如果你读这篇文章,很有可能你不是一个可持续的生活,或感兴趣更环保的生活方式。在这种情况下,改变你的习惯可能会觉得可怕还是该死的讨厌。出于这个原因,我们问我们最喜欢的博客分享他们认为可持续发展的最大挑战是什么,以及如何把他们背后。以下就是他们的回答。

1

“我们最大的挑战找到平衡,找出对我们并没有什么。没有书或博客如何做“零浪费”当我们开始于2008年。所以我搜索了一下方案和测试许多食谱和指南。但我也终于结束了家政:有一次,我正在做奶酪,面包,酸奶,豆浆,黄油,等等。这些想法太极端,太耗费时间,为了简单起见我们后来放弃了他们。例如,我们意识到没有必要做面包对我们如果我们能买散装的直接从面包店或者从面包店垃圾箱。

自2009年以来,我们有“零浪费”在自动驾驶我们的家。对我们来说这很简单和自然。我们发现“零浪费”的可持续发展在一个家庭,一个采用选择适合他/她的计划,从长远来看是可行的,适合他/她的地区风俗。”


3

“最大的挑战我不得不克服采用可持续的生活方式已经被接受,你必须选择你的战斗。任何商品或服务,我们购买或使用地球上产生影响,一些比其他的,它可以是非常困难的一个产品或服务,100%的伦理或可持续。我的可持续生活意味着我做决定基于采购值。这可能,例如,看到我购买进口产品在本地建立一个因为我不能源当地一个没有包装和我值包装自由的生活方式。这不是一个理想的情况,但你必须做你感觉最好的。很容易得到“挂”在地球上人类存在的事实无论如何也有负面影响和同情疲劳是一个真正的和危险使人变得消极的感觉。但只要你忠于你的个人价值观你知道你所做的最好的你可以与你希望对自己感觉良好。”


4

“我看到的最大挑战可用性。我想很多人都喜欢选择的可持续性,也额外付费,但是如果他们不能找到他们通常商店的产品,他们会放弃。我认为有很多方法可以克服它——我在告诉我的同行和读者对网上无穷无尽的可能性,以及零星的体育商店。我希望商店能做他们的部分,更可持续的产品特性和公平的。我们需要方便选择可持续的方式,而且我相信将来会越来越容易,但是现在,这是最大的挑战。”


5

“最常见的障碍向更可持续的生活方式在我朋友,家庭和社会网络的感知努力。许多人认为可持续生活的东西需要剥夺自己的每天的乐趣和经验,这是不对的!可持续发展的概念提出的William McDonough和迈克尔·Braungart从摇篮到摇篮的合作是什么启发了我开始改变我的生活。这一概念是可持续性的意思是“丰富,直到永远。“丰富的关键词;可持续地生活不像要节食。我喜欢更美味的食物,更令人兴奋的个人风格,与所爱的人更有意义的经验和新的朋友现在,我试着把一个可持续发展的前景在我的日常生活。

所以我的建议给那些希望这是更可持续的生活方式;认真考虑你需要在你的生活中,这一转变一步一个脚印。小的变化更现实的比在你的生活,做一个大修,行为实际上是更可持续的,因为这意味着你可以无限期地继续好转!当你花一点时间来思考你真正需要什么,什么将会对你的身心健康有益,就很容易使可持续的生活方式。”


6

“首先,我认为人们经常困惑究竟什么是可持续的和更可持续的比传统的选择。足以让该领域的专家很难精确计算织物或某个过程的环境影响与另一个,真正的答案是,许多因素影响最终花费更多的环境和简单的使用材料和听起来更环保的产品,例如,是不够的;整个过程必须考虑:水使用,化学处理,原材料来源。对消费者,当试图准确地选择可持续的产品,他们面临着很多营销和很少的科学,使工作更加困难。

另一个问题是价格:这些可持续产品标记和针对高收入人口,创造一种排他性和多次限制谁可以获得此类产品。第三个是制造更多的感知环境可持续的选择意味着购买很多新事物。日常行为,旨在节约用水,减少塑料的使用,少吃碳密集型食物和留意我们的整体生态足迹可能是更重要的比买一种不同的洗衣皂,但是改变习惯比刷信用卡要困难得多。对我来说,待通知从学术和科学来源和让我的新闻,而不是利润网站或制造商自己,最好的办法是点不一致和做出更好的决策。”


7

“我认为是人们面临的最大挑战是感觉问题是,他们的努力也不会太大做出改变否则将会浪费。我认为我们也变得如此厌倦广告我们不信托公司声称是“环保”或“可持续”,大多数人也不知道从哪里开始寻找答案,哪些产品是帮助地球。从本质上讲,人们被这一问题的严重性和数组的产品可供选择。

克服它的方法就是相信自己!你可以做出改变,每一点帮助。听起来陈词滥调,但这确实是真的!想象一下,如果每个人在北美转向环保家居清洁,或专门买了回收的纸巾。什么不同,这将使!使用环境工作小组的网站(EWG.org)快速检查和可持续产品有多安全。另外,给自己一点时间吧!当我开始我的可持续性的旅程,我决定给自己两年多来整理所有的混乱!开始只是通过改变清洁工——你可能要尝试一些以前你找到你最喜欢的!然后转移到化妆,纸制品,等等。”


8

“我相信大多数人面临的最大挑战,试图成为可持续的只是开始。我们经常有数据和统计信息抱歉的我们的地球力量喂我们的媒体,我不否认,知识是非常重要的,但我知道对很多人来说这可能是压倒性的。当一个情况看起来一样不可逆转地坏我们目前的气候状况,人们觉得这种无能为力的,不太可能被兴奋的解决问题的过程。被这样的一小部分这样一个巨大的问题也可以导致人们承担责任到更大的公司,或政府。

我强烈认为,解决方法是理解,任何选择,然而小,是有价值的。我们只能单独成为一个环保的社会,如果我们决定一步一步地实现可持续性——越来越自己的水果和蔬菜,选择源衣橱的比例从慈善机构/古董商店,或致力于公共交通的某些天一周。这些小事的累积效应将带来改变。所以我的建议是开始吧!不要认为你的贡献并不重要,或超过大公司和企业的负面行为,因为这是不正确的。”


阿里尔。洛

最大的挑战在选择可持续购买可访问性。根据世界上你住的地方,你可能没有获得可持续的产品或产品本身的信息。即使你生活在美国或英国,出现越来越多的“绿色”产品每天都在商店里,他们仍然无法使用在许多种类的商品。时尚是一个很庞大的工程。有很多可持续时尚,但你必须知道在哪里看。我希望有一天我能看到环保和道德服装上的标签像我们看到有机和公平贸易认证的咖啡。

与此同时,我的建议是,花一点点时间去寻找一个或两个高质量的,长期的,可持续的。我几乎每天都戴手表的废木材制成的。人们称赞它所有的时间,我告诉他们,我明白了,一个小公司。这就是运动传播的方式。越需求我们作为消费者创造更可持续的产品将访问。”


Nataliebanner

“我觉得人们面对选择时的最大挑战是缺乏更可持续的生活方式选择在他们自己的环境。很多城镇仍在追赶这一概念,人们仍在学习可持续生活方式的意义。在我自己的城市,商店不回收,大街上没有回收垃圾箱。我唯一知道的,“绿色”零售商最近关闭了大门。真的很难创建一个可持续的生活当你自己的小镇是不接受它。

要解决这个问题的最好方法是改变思想你的周围。选择一个可持续发展的路线在你自己的家里(很容易在网上找到信息&产品)是不够的,你必须开始谈话与你周围的人。我相信这是一个多米诺骨牌效应。我发现它与我的朋友和家人!我们只需要记住,可持续性包括几件事情——社会、经济和环境问题。我们需要所有这三个一起工作来创建一个真正可持续的社区。”


茱莉亚

“很多人认为,他们的可持续发展是一个大问题个人行为只是沧海一粟。他们感觉被他们无法做到,所以他们失去了做任何事情的动机。的技巧克服这个心理阻隔一步步的走。专注于改变件事,随着时间的推移你的新习惯会加起来是一个真正的、积极的影响。”


“我认为对许多的最大障碍——当然也为自己压倒。当你开始考虑你的消费和生活方式的选择,以及他们如何影响人们和地球,你倒了一个兔子洞。你意识到有成百上千的事情你可以做的更好,很容易迷失在感觉,你将永远不能做的不够。

这就是为什么我试图雇用的社会学概念”小的成功”,可持续地生活的大问题分解成更小的块。我今天可能无法安装太阳能电池板,但我可以切换到可重用的个人188bet亚洲体育平台www188bet.com及家庭护理产品,如月经垫,棉花,和食品包装。我可能无法购买一个完全可持续服装,但是我可以更好地利用我已经拥有的东西。我认为同样重要的是认识到,最大的影响我们可以开始在家里,通过我们的个人生活方式的选择和我们当地的激进主义。走出去,跟人谈论你的激情生活更可持续。你不能改变世界的一天,但你的声音可以携带一些足以影响。和口碑活动携带更多的重量比有史以来最精心设计的广告宣传活动。”

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