A future where humankind and nature live in a symbiotic ecosystem
The state of the natural world is becoming more and more of a hot topic. With terms such as climate change and global warming becoming extremely common in day-to-day conversation. A few the most common theories on how to reverse climate change in Australia include:
Creating wind and solar panel farms to increase the use of sustainable energy
Reducing overall waste
Stopping the production/ use of single-use plastics
Preventing the mining of coal and fossil fuels.
While these concepts can and will largely impact the future in a positive way, they tend to be largely out of the control of each individual person. This article will discuss some ways for you to reduce your impact on the planet and live an eco-conscious lifestyle.
Intelligent Farming
The idea of intelligent farming largely involves the ways in which you plant crops and flowers, ensuring the most abundant harvest possible with the least amount of farmland used. For instance, if you plant sunflowers at the beginning of spring, and plant green beans around the stalks of the sunflowers at the end of spring, you will have a highly fruitful harvest because the sunflowers would have allowed the bees to easily pollinate the bean flowers.
Intelligent farming can also come in the form of mixing edible plants in with your decorative plants. This could be putting chamomile flowers amongst your tulips so you have not only a pretty garden, but one that you can also make cups of tea from.
Composting and Careful Disposal of Waste
A great way to lower your impact on the planet is by being careful with how you deal with your waste. A great method of this is composting. Composting can be as simple as making a pile of organic waste in shady area. Not only can you compost food scraps, but you can also compost dry matter, like pizza boxes and milk cartons. If your composter starts to look very dry, give it a spritz of water, and if it looks too wet add some more dry matter. After a while the composter will start to break down all the matter that you have put into the pile and provide you with some of the best fertilizer you will ever use.
Another form of eco-friendly waste disposal that we have seen recently is eco-bricking. This was a concept that started a few years ago and has been gaining popularity ever since. Eco-bricking involves take a large, hard plastic bottle and filling it with all your soft plastics. Using a tool like a tamper or the end of a paint brush, you keep compacting this plastic into the bottle to the point where no more will fit. These bricks can be used to create furniture, or walls, or even to make a composter! The possibilities are truly endless.
Biophilic Design
Biophilic design is the concept of incorporating foliage into your living spaces. This is most often seen in the form of pot plants scattered around the room, but I believe it could become a much larger part of a home. We are starting to see concept houses that include large built-in planters. Both on the inside and outside of homes. While the planters obviously make structures more visually appealing, they will help to increase the air quality of the space and have even been proven to aid in productivity and mental clarity.
Biophilic design is an essential part of any living space, whether it is a small room or an entire city.
“Despite so many office workers living in city-dominated lives, with increasingly limited access to natural elements, they all share an affinity with the natural world. No matter where they are, people yearn for more natural light, peace and quiet, and most importantly, the chance to be closer to nature. It follows, then, that businesses that boast offices with elements inspired by nature, such as more natural light and greenery, will have employees that are happier and more productive at work, and perhaps healthier too.”
– Sir Cary Cooper (CBE FAcSS), Psychologist
Homesteading/Production of Food at Home
Homesteading is currently being highlighted and praised in the media, because of its sustainable mindset. More and more people are starting to make their own cheese from milk or are baking their own bread. Due to the cost-of-living crisis, people are finding that making these foods at home is far more cost efficient than it would be to purchase these items for a shop.
A benefit commonly associated with homesteading, is the fact that you can control how your food is processed, to avoid any harsh chemicals or preservatives that would be found in foods normally. People tend to find that they feel happier, healthier, and can just function better when the consume these organic, environmentally friendly foods that they are making at half the cost of the supermarket’s items.
It all adds up!
Sometimes it might seem like the efforts that you are making for the environment aren’t really helping, but I can assure you that they are. If you continue to live consciously, others might just follow in your footsteps. Soon enough, if we all do our part, we may end up living in a completely eco-friendly state. It might take a while, but a symbiotic relationship with nature is achievable for humankind.