The American Club Spring Magazine 2022

FEATURE

It’s official : green is the new black and there's never been a better time for sustainable l iving. Eco-fr iendly is no longer a quirky l ifestyle trend, it’s a moral imperative. And, as the protest placards are keen to remind us — there is no Planet B. However, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by gloomy stats and give up before you’ve even begun. One of the biggest mistakes we make when it comes to sustainable l iving is bel ieving our effor ts have to be al l or nothing; flawless or fai lure. When the truth is that lots of l ittle, imperfect tweaks to our habits can add up to real , lasting change. We have gathered four tips on how you can star t your sustainable journey. Start small but start now One of the most impor tant things to remember as you are transitioning into more sustainable l iving is that l ittle changes add up. And they can add up fast. So don't feel l ike you have to overhaul ever ything al l at once. Star t with easy tweaks l ike switching to energy-saving l ight bulbs or br inging your own bottle instead of buying bottled water. Be conscious about how you dispose of goods, from mattresses to clothing and beyond. Burn calories and save the earth Walking, taking the stair s and r iding a commuter bicycle are some of the easiest ways to get around whi le suppor ting the planet. That's because they require no energy (other than your own!) and emit absolutely zero greenhouse gases whi le boosting your own cardiovascular health. Dr iving a combustion-engine vehicle, on the other hand, is a significant contr ibutor to greenhouse gas emissions.

If distance puts walking or r iding a bike out of the question, publ ic transpor tation or car-shar ing are good alternatives.

Less is more If you can’t re-use it, you should refuse it.

Before buying anything new, think about either renting or borrowing, and check out second-hand stores too. Alternatively buy from brands with a circular economy, or one that use recycled mater ials, and suppor t a local business. Out with the old Nothing says pointless than emai ls spamming your inbox. It may seem harmless, but did you know that it has a negative impact on the environment? Sending one emai l without any attachments has a carbon footpr int equivalent of 4g of CO2. And the emai ls you receive ever y day real ly add up. Research has shown that that sending 65 emai ls equates to the same amount of energy needed to dr ive 1.6 km. To reduce unnecessar y energy waste where possible, unsubscr ibe from emai ls that you wi l l never open. The ear th belongs to us, and we to the ear th. If we take care of our planet, it wi l l take care of us, and our future gnerations. This is my ear th, my responsibi l ity.

14 THE AMERICAN CLUB SINGAPORE 14 THE AMERICAN CLUB SINGAPORE