Being more sustainable: taking responsibility for the future

Despite the constant flow of information on how to be more sustainable, the general public is not fully convinced and we’re still light years away from being efficient. Broadly speaking, people tend to take the path of least resistance: they resist any change in their ingrained daily habits, despite the evident benefits of changing; the numbers confirm this.

The economic crisis has impacted the general populace, leading to a decline in consumption (water, electricity, gas, etc.); but don’t be fooled: if this trend is attributable solely to economic factors, then the effects will last only as long as the crisis, and consumption will rebound disproportionately in times of economic prosperity.

I believe we need to focus on three fundamental aspects in order to reverse this environmentally unsustainable trend:

• EDUCATION

We must include sustainable development in school curricula and, more importantly, teachers must make their students feel that they are part of the ongoing learning process with a view to building societies that are just and environmentally balanced. We must make sustainability part of our culture, which is no easy task.

• AWARENESS

Citizen awareness is essential for achieving environmental sustainability. Until we realize that every environmentally irresponsible action has irreversible consequences, we will continue contributing to the deterioration of the planet and seriously compromising the well-being of generations to come: “think globally, act locally” A change in our daily habits, no matter how small, has a positive effect on everyone.

• GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT

Public administrations, through their various agencies, are responsible for implementing and reinforcing energy saving policies. Spain is one of first countries in Europe to draft demanding regulations to comply with international commitments, but it is one of the least efficient when it comes to implementation. An exemplary, powerful measure the Administration could implement would be energy optimisation plans in public buildings, rolling out in-depth changes to make them highly energy efficient.

Being sustainable is not just the concern of environmentalists and environmental organisations. Every person on the planet has the responsibility to care for, maintain and extend its resources as much as possible.

Originally writen by Marisa Martínez Gobantes, 10th September 2014, in tu casa es mas.