Introduction
The fast-changing environment and its deterioration are critical concerns of the modern age. Human activity and the increased need for various resources promoted drastic changes in various areas, which destroyed the habitat of millions of animals. Additionally, various types of pollution threaten the nation’s health and future generations. Under these conditions, sustainability issues acquire the top priority as one of the possible solutions to existing issues. The practice can be described as meeting existing needs without compromising the future generations’ chances for success and healthy living (Caradonna, 2014).
Regarding the worsening of the existing situation, sustainable projects aimed at improving communities’ health and states are viewed as critically important today (Hull, Robertson and Mortimer, 2020). Moreover, every individual can promote positive change by reconsidering his/her habits and adhering to sustainable practices. The combined effort might help to create the basis for new generations and help them.
Sustainability Importance Explained Using Real Example
As stated previously, humanity faces numerous problems today that threaten the future of generations. The fast evolution of industries, the dominance of global corporations, and the constantly increasing number of people globally cause substantial harm to the planet. Moreover, disregarding the situation worsens and requires additional resources and costs. For instance, the constantly growing population combined with the deterioration of natural resources, pollution, and climate change make the problem of global hunger more topical. Furthermore, millions of animals are grown and killed on farms to meet the existing demand for meet and ensure populations might enjoy the necessary amount of nutrients (Degens, 2021). Thus, the traditional approach will worsen the problem as it does not imply stepping away from conventional practices and replacing them with new, more environmentally friendly ones.
Under these conditions, the shift to sustainable practices might be the possible and practical solution to existing problems. Numerous global corporations, such as Nestle, Starbucks, and Coca Cola started to realise the critical necessity to reconsider the methods used by them to create their products; otherwise, they will have no clients to pay (Epstein and Buhovac, 2014; Heizer, Render and Munson, 2019). Furthermore, the shift towards sustainable practices is associated with new technologies allowing firms to replace old, less effective, and harmful with new ones not sacrificing specific benefits (Elliott and Wright, 2018). At the same time, sustainable projects focus on resolving specific issues associated with existing communities’ needs, environmental problems, and nagging issues. For this reason, by gradually replacing the old approaches with the new ones, it is possible to create the basis for a more sustainable future.
Several factors evidence the critical importance of sustainable practices. First of all, it focuses on creating and using a solution to address the whole situation instead of trying to resolve a single problem and not paying attention to another one (Firdaus Khan, 2021). As a result, sustainable practices might be combined and used in various spheres to promote the gradual improvement of the situation in different aspects (Glickman and Kavanaugh, 2022). Moreover, sustainable practices offer a wiser use of existing resources instead of supporting the consumer society’s ideas and overproduction (Haney, Pope and Arden, 2020). Finally, existing sustainable programs focus on individuals and their needs, meaning they are people-oriented and might help to support the functioning of a specific community, which is critical for populations’ survival and their future evolution.
The problem of food is one of the most topical issues in the global world. The official statistics state that about 9% of people are undernourished globally (Lim, 2022). It means that 690 million people do not have the necessary products and starve (Lim, 2022). Furthermore, an average human being will consume about 7,000 animals during their lifespan (Portney, 2015). It means that meat producers should work hard to ensure the necessary meat supply and guarantee that populations will be nourished. However, the populations continue to grow, meaning more animals will be needed (Ordonez-Ponce, Clarke and Colbert, 2021). It increases the demand for natural food for animals, areas for pastures, and logistics. These factors contribute to the emergence of new sustainability issues and critical environmental problems.
For this reason, incentives aimed at resolving the problem mentioned above can be viewed as critical steps toward building a better future for new generations. For instance, Impossible Foods is a critically important company focusing on cultivating sustainable practices and involving individuals in the process (About us, 2022). The firm emphasises that sustainable changes might start rom reconsidering food habits and using new types of products (Eat meat. Save the planet, 2022). The growing meat consumption is one of the major factors of climate change because of the functioning of the agricultural industry (Khan et al., 2019). For this reason, focusing on making meatless meat, Impossible Foods expect to create the basis for the positive change (Eat meat. Save the planet, 2022). Sustainable practice might trigger numerous positive changes globally and address environmental issues.
The central idea of the given practice is the reduction replacement of traditional meet with a new one. It is usually made of non-animal ingredients with similar characteristics and nutritional value. These include soy, peas, beans, wheat gluten, rice, oil, and other substances (Moses, 2019). Switching to this practice, companies such as Impossible Foods attain several goals. First, fewer animals will be killed, which is an important ethical component of the practice (Moses, 2019). However, which is more important, it might help to meet the growing demand for meat products and reduce the environmental harm done by the agricultural sector. For instance, producing 1 kg of beef requires around 30,000 litres of water, while only 300 litres are required to produce the same amount of tofu (Khan et al., 2019). Considering the increased topicality of fresh water supply, it becomes a severe advantage evidencing the importance of the practice.
Moreover, farmers report that growing number of problems linked to pasture areas. The growing demand for meat impacts the constant growth of herds and flocks to meet the client’s needs. It means that new areas should be given to farmers to guarantee they have the necessary resources to continue their work. As a result, the problem of deforestation and destruction of the natural habitat emerges (Khan et al., 2019). Thousands of species become extinct because of agricultural activity and the work of the agricultural sector. For this reason, Impossible Foods offer a sustainable practice that might be an effective solution to the problem and help to reduce communities’ dependence on natural meat producers. At the same time, the number of products might remain at the same level or even grow.
Furthermore, Impossible Foods emphasise that the switch to a new type of meat might help reduce the agricultural sector’s carbon footprint. The incentive might promote up to an 89% decrease in emissions because of the logistics and animal management issues (Cooper, 2021). At the same time, the sector remains a significant pollutant because of the pesticides and fertilisers used for various purposes. The reduced pressure on the sphere because of the introduction of new sustainable practices might help to resolve the problem (Greger, 2020). Investigations show that plant-based meat production requires a less significant amount of resources (Fraser et al., 2018). Moreover, it causes less severe harm to the environment compared to the traditional one. For this reason, the option might be viewed as a possible solution to existing problems.
Altogether, the discussed example shows the critical importance of sustainable innovation in the modern world. The shift to new, more environmentally friendly practices is vital for society. First, it will help to stop the ruthless exploitation of available resources. It is fundamental for the next generations’ ability to survive and the whole world’s evolution. Second, projects such as Impossible Food impact a set of problematic areas, such as the growing need for products, pollution, deforestation, and the disappearance of the natural habitat (Hartwell et al., 2022). It means that sustainable practices might help to create a new framework with interconnected elements. One solution might support another and result in a reduced number of harmful substances produced or a less significant impact on the environment. For this reason, the modern world depends on the development and realisation of sustainable incentives and practices. It is vital to step away from methods implying the unwise exploitation of nature and start using new ones, helping it to recover.
My Sustainability Ideals
Sustainability ideals are critical for the future development of the world and new generations. Using new practices, it is possible to reduce the harm done to the environment and ensure there is a chance for recovery. However, the results depend on how these practices are integrated into society and how people use them (Stern, 2018). It means that every person might reconsider his/her lifestyle and follow the main sustainability ideas to make the world a better place to live. Looking at my daily routine, I should also say that there are some opportunities to support sustainable practices.
First of all, I am a great fan of coffee and consume this product numerous times per day. Usually, I visit several local coffee shops to buy a favourite drink and enjoy it. Unfortunately, most of these establishments use plastic cups, one of the primary sources of constantly growing plastic pollution. For this reason, to comply with sustainability ideals, I should switch to using my own cup for coffee, such as KeepCup (Robertson, 2021). It is a glass container which can be closed and used to carry and drink coffee. It will help to reduce the number of plastic cups used by me and promote sustainable practices.
Moreover, my personal plastic waste can be minimised by refusing to use plastic bags. Statistics show that about 100 billion plastic bags are used in one state per year (Landrum, 2018). It requires 12 million barrels of oil to produce them and makes the problem of plastic pollution more topical (McDonough and Braungart, 2013). For this reason, every individual, including me, has a chance to contribute to the resolution of the problem. It is possible to use specific shoppers made of recyclable materials every time we go shopping. It will help to avoid buying plastic bags and using them only once.
Finally, it is possible to address sustainability issues by reconsidering the ideas of the consumerist society. Overproduction is one of the major problems of the modern world as a significant amount of resources is used to manufacture items that will be used once or will not be exploited at all (Sherman and Montgomery, 2020). For this reason, it is vital to resolve the problem by reconsidering some behaviours. For instance, cooperate with companies supporting recycling and sustainable practices. Moreover, clothes can be used more wisely and shared with others when you stop wearing them.
Altogether, every person should realise the critical importance of sustainable practices and the role they play in the modern world. It is impossible to disregard the most nagging issues as they would impact future generations. For this reason, it is necessary to reconsider some behaviours to ensure they comply with the sustainability ideals. As for me, I can also contribute to the improvement of the situation by using glass cups for coffee, reducing the number of plastic bags, and supporting environmentally friendly brands. The given change in the lifestyle will not require severe sacrifices from me; however, it can be viewed as a step toward building a better world.
Conclusion
In such a way, sustainability ideals should be viewed as the fundamental component of the modern world. It implies using practices that help to fulfil existing needs without compromising the chances of future generations to attain success and enjoy numerous benefits. In other words, these practices aim at reducing the negative results of people’s activity and introduce new, more environmentally friendly methods. Incentives such as Impossible Foods might help to achieve the goal. However, it is also essential that every individual should engage in the process, reconsider his/her views and make sustainability ideals a part of his/her life.
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