Today we have Piggypieces as the guest blogger here. SDGPIGGYPIECES is her blog site, a one-stop blog mainly related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that initiated by the United Nations. They are a call for action by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. She keenly feels that as the future of the world, the Youths should take ownership as well as the responsibility for the future of our motherland.
For those who do not know, SDGs stand for Sustainable Development Goals, are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. SDGs are the heart of The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
Today, we are going to introduce SDG 12: Responsible Consumption.
- “Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. Agriculture is the biggest user of water worldwide, and irrigation now claims close to 70 percent of all freshwater for human use.” (stated in United Nations Development Programme website)
- “The efficient management of our shared natural resources, and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants, are important targets to achieve this goal. Encouraging industries, businesses and consumers to recycle and reduce waste is equally important, as is supporting developing countries to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption by 2030.” (stated in United Nations Development Programme website)
- “A large share of the world population is still consuming far too little to meet even their basic needs. Halving the per capita of global food waste at the retailer and consumer levels is also important for creating more efficient production and supply chains. This can help with food security, and shift us towards a more resource efficient economy.” (stated in United Nations Development Programme website)
As mentioned above, people are facing a shortage of resources. To maintain life circulation, there are several ways to be adopted by us as individuals!! Based on the SDG 12, the resources can be divided into three categories include water, energy and food.
1. WATER:
According to UNDP, only 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh (drinkable), and humans are using it faster than nature can replenish it. However, as the “the origin of life”, water is extremely important for any living things. Without water, a person can only live for three to four days according to The Independent. Thus, the preservation of usable and edible water source requests great attention.
(1.) One way to preserve usable water is to reduce unnecessary water wastage. Some people like bathing instead of a shower which requires gallons more water. Although bathing is a way of relaxing the body, it is not a necessity in life.
(2.) Other than that, making sure the water-tab is tightly turn off after used is also helping to avoid water wastage.
(3.) In order to preserve the main water resource which is the ocean, people need to decrease the dispose of waste such as plastic bags, polystyrene products and toxic materials. The waste needs to be processed properly and people must not throw rubbish into the ocean. It is encouraged to prepare personal reusable products like recycling bags to reduce the production of rubbish.
2. ENERGY
Next, preserve energy for future use. How to save energy?
(1.) First, make sure the electricity is switched off when not in use. It’s stated that if people everywhere switched to energy-efficient lightbulbs, the world would save US$120 billion annually. So why not do something that saves the world and your pocket at the same time!
(2.) Besides, avoid using electricity if it’s not a necessity. For instance, the usage of dryers for hair and clothes is not a must in daily life.
(3.) Try to install solar panels in the house if affordable. It will save the electricity because solar energy is a kind of renewable energy.
(4.) Then, reduce the usage of paper so that no need for forest restoration. People should cultivate the habits of using a digital notebook to jot down messages rather than using papers. Apart from that, people should also do recycle of paper because the recycling process cost lesser than producing a brand-new paper.
(5.) On the other hand, carpooling may help to reduce the wastage of petroleum. Choosing bicycles and public transport as a way of travel also gives aid to the problem of energy over-consumption.
3. FOOD
(1.) Meanwhile, it’s urged to decrease the consumption of meats because meats production needs more resources compared to plants. “About a third of the world’s crops are fed to animals, and they use a third of all available fresh water,” stated in The Economist.
(2.) At the same time, 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year, while almost 2 billion people go hungry or undernourished. It also stated that the production of one kilo beef needs around 15,000 litres of water but the production of one kilo wheat only needs 1,250 litres of water.
(3.) Composting food waste will do a favour on a reduction of greenhouse gas. Moreover, it can become nutrients to grow other plants. Lastly, be a smart buyer. When falling into the trap of marketing, people may buy products impulsively. Purchase of food more than requirement leads to wastage.
This is the end, thank you! If you are interested to SDG, please do visit sdgpiggypieces. By the way, stay tune in Green for R if you want to know more stories about recycling.
*Cover image from SDG official website.
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