Where to Initiate Personal Action? Focus on the Big Four

Personal sustainability is commonly described as making and sustaining a change in your life that has a significant positive impact on the environment or society in which you live. While personal passion is one great driver, our eco living consulting has learned that not everyone has the same level of enthusiasm when it comes to holistic sustainable lifestyle plan. The good news is that passion is not the only personal driver that can motivate and sustain alternative choices.

The truth of the matter is that you do not have to live a 100% sustainable lifestyle to make a significant difference. By aligning personal incentives with just a few sustainability concepts, you can reduce your carbon footprint almost immediately.

•    Vehicle Fuel Consumption: The most significant area of personal impact and one that is well within your sphere of influence. Sustainable actions directly aligned with personal savings include: alternative fuel transportation, fuel efficiency and personal reduction (commuting, ride share, alternative transportation).

•    Electricity Consumption: By switching to wind or renewable sources, the average family could save the equivalent to thousands of miles driven in a car. Sustainable actions include: source control (wind, renewable, offsets), home efficiency (energy star appliances), and personal energy management.

•    Water Consumption: Clear fresh water is rapidly becoming an endangered resource in even the most developed countries. Sustainable actions directly aligned with personal savings include: water management (personal use and outdoor watering) and waste water management (controlling what goes down the drain and into the storm drains).

•    Waste Disposal: A large portion of what goes into the average garbage is recyclable. By separating your plastics, glass, and paper, the weekly volume sent to the landfill could be cut by more than half. Sustainable actions include: inquiring about recycling programs with traditional collectors and locating recycling centers in your area.

When you consider that over 80% of our personal impact can be bucketed into four major categories, the opportunities for personal action become a little less overwhelming. Taking it a step further, most sustainable choices are aligned with economic incentives that appeal to everyone. So why not get started on making a difference today?