What is Green living

That is to say, you resolve to live a sustainable life with the environment without harming it either the land, air or water bodies aspects of environment.

A perspective picture of green living 

It is morning hours and you are walking down the street maybe on your way to work, as you enjoy fresh air and aesthetic beauty from ornamental trees and flowers planted along the streets.

Later on, you are passed by many vehicles and motor bikes producing blackish smoke from their exhausts. Some of these vehicles don’t seem to produce any but in reality they are producing it in ‘silence’.

Within no time, you hear a big hooting of a train, on the opposite side of the road, looking at the train it is heavily loaded with different parcels. The kind and amount of smoke it is producing from its exhaust is heartbreaking to an environmental enthusiast like you.

That morning walk to work experience starts making you think harder about how we can live and interact with our environment in a harmonious way-a mutually beneficial human and environment relationship.

At the front office desk of your workplace, your eyes are met by plastic flowers in a plastic vessel. Something must change; your mind tells your heart.

Our life styles, how we view and how we act on the environment, depict our personal and societal attitude toward God’s creation, Mother Nature.

Some misuse it due to their unbridled [materialistic and] consumerist lifestyle while others use it properly to cater their needs, in consideration of the future generations’ needsby respecting its environmental dignity 

Whether it’s for your domestic, transport or industrial needs, you strive to live a green lifestyle that you are not directly or indirectly participating in greenhouse gasses emission into the atmosphere. That is, living a ‘net zero living’ life or a free carbon foot print lifestyle.

To some extent, we can’t deny it, you may find it difficult to live a green life because you have very little or no influence in societal or/and country’s decision making processes to determine the type of energy and items will be used to cater for your needs.

However, what you, and all human beings, have is a personal ability and capacity to make those small and meaningful changes in their lives that can make them live green.

But all is not lost, because individual ecological conversion and transformation is possible and once you change yourself you can then become an agent of environmental change maker. 

You should use your personal green conviction and power to influence other people, to think and act green, starting with your family members and then move on to your social circles.

Progressively, you will have converted many people to go green and with a small group of convinced and knowledgeable people you can reach out to the political and economic leaders to push them to create and adopt green laws and policies of your country. 

Change begins with you; going green [green change] starts with you! 

There are very many ways in which we can live a green lifestyle, either as an individual, a group of people, an organization, a country or the world as a whole. 

With technological advancement the world has achieved, and still innovating more technology, more so in the internet, we can create better and better green technologies and use natural renewable resources as we preserve and conserve our God free given creation/environment.

They include:

1.      Planting trees

Trees are good for oxygen production for us and for animals and also they help in purifying the air by absorbing carbon dioxide.

So, in our home, learning institutions, places of worship, along the roads and river banks, in forests, etc., let us plant and nature trees.

On the same note, trees give us timber for making our furniture, building houses, etc. and once we cut a tree, for the genuine purpose, it is always right and just to plant three more to replace the one cut down. That will be sustainable.

2.      Walking to work place or leisure place

As long as you have legs and you can walk, develop a culture of walking just one kilometer per day.

If your workplace is within walking distance, please do so. You have nothing to lose.

Also, on weekends and holidays when you want to visit a friend or a relative, don’t take a ride, just walk if it is close to your residence.

Two things you have done, one you have improved your health and second you have achieved a net zero living; that is, no fuels burned by a vehicle so no carbon emission and thus no carbon footprint you have created. 

3.      Cycling

A bicycle produces no greenhouse gas into the atmosphere and thus it leaves no carbon footprints behind.

Additionally, when you cycle you do exercises which are good for your health. So, buy or hire a bicycle that you can cycle to your workstation or when going for leisure.

4.      Indoor flowers

Refuse plastic flowers in plastic vessels! Have natural flowers in earthen or wood made flower vessels. Flowers in your house purify the air and give your house a natural green touch. 

Having at least two flowers in every room and at least four in your table room will make your house beautiful, fresh and rejuvenating. 

5.      Spices plants

Around your house, have a mixture of flowers and spices plants in wooden or earthen vessels.

 At the same time, you will have beautiful compounds from flowers and then these spice plants will be producing a spicy scent which is good for health especially your respiratory system.

 You will also be putting those spices into your tea or coffee and food; you have all the benefits.

6.      Use of solar energy

Using solar [and wind power] energy as the source of energy in your home is economically affordable, clean, green and sustainable.

Once you install solar panels in house and do the wiring, you will be using energy free of charge. No more monthly electricity bills!

7.      Recycling

In order to cut down on plastic production and uses, you need to refuse to buy any goods or items packed in single-plastics, especially water and energy drinks.

 Instead, buy a refill water bottle which you will be carrying with you so that once it is empty, you can go to the water refilling point and refill your water bottle.  Buy a coffee cup that you will be carrying so that when you want to take coffee just go to a coffee shop and refill your cup instead of buying coffee in single-plastic cups. 

The role of the government

Here, the government, through the ministry of environment or any other relevant department, must intervene so that it can have or strengthen green laws and policies that will regulate and monitor plastic production industries and their clients such as the water, coffee and other beverages businesses.

That way, we shall have to cut down on plastics production and usages and hence save ourselves from plastic pollution in our water bodies.

More innovation is needed to come up with reusable water bottles and coffee cups that will replace plastic ones. 

8.      Waste management

To keep your house, office, worship centers, the streets, towns and cities clean and green ensure you-individual, families, organizations, and the government-have the five litter bins. One for plastics, metals, clothes, vegetables/plants and glass wastes.

That way, we will have environmentally friendly waste management methods which will be easier and cheap to collect and to recycle.

As we have said in the beginning, this kind of green lifestyle needs a person who is ready to change his or her environmental attitude and treat Mother Nature with respect.

Therefore, we should use those natural resources that are renewable for our needs and for the sake of the needs of the future generations.

This is not a one day event but a day to day practice until you totally live a green life but of course with cooperation, willingness and assistance by the government in enforcing green laws and policies. Green is life; the future we need!