Sustainability can be best understood as the conservation of the resources we have today, to secure the future generations. Since the dawn of mankind, travelling has enhanced sustainability in one way or other. Without man’s indomitable curiosity to explore the unknown, humanity wouldn’t have been here today. But at present travelling is ironically harming sustainability itself! As someone who will be pursuing a degree in Economics at the University of Exeter, my travel from India to the UK alone will cause a CO2 emission of approximately 0.8 to 1.2 metric tons. Hence, I wish to compensate for this and adopt some major ways to contribute to a sustainable life in university.
In the age of social media, the general public, often influenced by ephemeral trends, turns to overconsumption. This practice has caused us to showcase luxurious lifestyles, paired with trips to exotic destinations and branded outfits. A single cotton shirt requires around 700 gallons of water, while aviation accounts for roughly 2.5% of the global CO2 emissions. Statistics say that there has been a marked 45% increase of waste in Cornwall, due to tourism. Climbers generate an average of 8 kg of trash per person and litter parts of the Himalayas. Land, water and air pollution makes travelling an unsustainable practice. These choices meant to serve recreation now pose a great threat to the world!
Travelling contributes to 40% of the annual food production that is wasted. To tackle this problem, the United Nations have proposed 17 sustainability development goals. To ensure that the UN SDG 2 : Zero Hunger is followed, we must start with adopting ways of sustainable eating that minimizes food and kitchen waste. We cannot afford to be ‘picky-eaters’ at an age which doesn’t even guarantee the availability of drinking water for everyone. My culture, hailed for its no-waste Bengali cuisine, was shaped the way it is today, because of The Great Bengal Famine of 1770. Bengalis are accustomed with eating everything, besides the vegetables itself, we eat its leaves, stems, flowers, roots and peels.
To adhere to UN SDG 13 : Climate Action , I shall use the railways for intercity travel, and depend on bicycles to cover short distances. As a student in Exeter, I can stop the usage of plastic bottles, spoons or straws and help in protecting the fragile marine ecosystem that Devon houses. Refraining from sending large emails or attachments, switching to sustainable energy providers, minimizing the usage of AI by gaining specialization in prompt engineering, are some ways by which we can follow the UN SDG: Affordable and clean energy. My university allows students to participate in the “Gift it Reuse it” campaign, where incoming students can use second-hand household items which outgoing students donate. To ensure a beautiful world to the forthcoming generations, we must start by employing these small additions in our lives, only then can we dream of a future which doesn’t have to suffer to avail the basic necessities.
References:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com
idrawater.org
https://ourworldindata
https://tourismintheunitedkindom.weebly.com
https://www.unglobalcompact.org.uk/,
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/about/sustainability/whatyoucando/
