How Earth Friendly Are You?
“Sustainability encompasses the simple principle of taking from earth only what it can provide indefinitely, thus leaving future generations no less than we have access to ourselves.”
— Friends of the Earth – Scotland
Sustainability
Each of the ten statements below is a general statement related to our transportation choices. Try to describe your current choices.
Answers range from:
| 1 | 5 | 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Never | Sometimes | Always |
Read the 10 statements below. In the adjacent box, write the number corresponding to your answer. E.g. ‚ 1= Never. When you finish, add the numbers to get a score.
| Questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| I am familiar with the concepts of carrying capacity in terms of ecological and sustainable use. | 1. _____________ |
| I am familiar with indicators and how sustainability indicators differ from traditional indicators. | 2. _____________ |
| I am familiar with the concepts of clean production. | 3. _____________ |
| I am familiar with the term “blue gold of the 21st Century.” | 4. _____________ |
| I believe water is a fundamental human right; to the extent one has the right to live, one has the right to water. | 5. _____________ |
| I prefer to purchase bottled water because I believe it is better than municipal water supplies. | 6. _____________ |
| This audit has raised my awareness of the world’s water supply problems, efforts to privatize water for profit, and I would like more information regarding this topic. | 7. _____________ |
| I believe the esthetic qualities of nature are important and with water and air, they are part of our common global inheritance and should be viewed as a common resource rather than the private property of corporations or individuals. | 8. _____________ |
| believe the polluter should bear the cost of environmental remediation and restoration. | 9. _____________ |
| I believe farmers have the right to save seeds for the next year’s crop. | 10. _____________ |
Tips for Living More Lightly
- Analyze your consumption quantitatively.
- Look for opportunities to be a leader.
- Buy more of those things that help the environment.
- Think about nonenvironmental reasons for reducing consumption.
- Invest in the environment.
- Make land use an environmental issue.
- Eat less meat.
- Ask the government to provide tax incentives for manufacturers to invest in new technologies that are more efficient and are less polluting.
- Make renewable energy a standard.
- Educate yourself and others about environmental issues.
Resources
The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Choices from The Union of Concerned Scientists, Michael Brower and Warren Leon, New York, Three Rivers Press, 1999, ISBN 0-609-80281-X
Fair Trade Resources
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Web of Creation
Simple Living
