environmentweb guide to what is eco-living?
Eco-living and green-living have become common phrases to the extent that we often forget that it's not always clear what exactly they mean. You don't have to go out and chain yourself to a tree to live a greener lifestyle - you can have just as much impact (probably more) in the comfort of your own home!
Eco- and green-living are pretty much interchangeable terms - I've never seen or heard anyone draw a clear distinction between them. You can get a good idea as to what exactly they refer to from the name: eco comes from ecology or ecological, suggesting the obvious link between eco-living and the ecology and ecosystems around us - plant, animals and the environment we live in. Essentially eco-living is about trying to balance the way we live with the world around us, so that we can live the lifestyle we want while having as small a negative impact on the world around us as possible.
A key concept in green living is sustainability. Sustainability is really quite a complex issue and there is still debate on how exactly it should be defined, but in this case it essentially refers to living in a way that can be kept up indefinitely. This means things such as not relying too heavily on fossil fuels, which will eventually run out, not using intensive farming methods which will eventually ruin the soil and not causing any catastrophic changes to the environment which will result in us having to completely change they way in which we live. While these all sound like lofty goals the real aim of eco-living is just to be aware of these issues and do a little bit to try and minimise your own personal impact. If everyone in the world did the same the impact it would have would be huge.
So what can we do to live a greener, more sustainable life style? Well, there are a whole range of things depending on your situation and what you feel happy doing. Many of them also have other benefits; reducing the amount of electricity you use helps you to be greener and also saves money. Many of the other guides on this site offer simple suggestions on how you can live a more eco-friendly lifestyle without having to make big changes - in fact that's the main reason that this site is here.
A final idea worth mentioning in relation to eco-living is that of being an ethical consumer. This means thinking about what you buy and who from and avoiding products from companies that exploit workers in the developing world or poorly treat animals as well as a host of other unethical practices which help to increase their profit but at a cost to others. While being an ethical consumer doesn't necessarily help the environment it can certainly help to make the world a nicer place.
