Sustainability For A Better World
Sreelakshmi Shenoy

Sustainability - a term that has been gaining momentum recently - has proven to us numerous times that it is the only way to help our Planet Earth from being stripped of living beings. As the population keeps growing, its importance has risen, more than ever, to uncover ways where we can conserve and work smartly to elevate the idea of sustainability and a more promising future.

It is necessary to use resources carefully and act - at an individual, local and government level - as only sustainable development will guarantee the wellbeing of future generations.

To begin with, as individuals, we can do plenty to promote sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint from within our homes. Many households prefer solar stoves or electric stoves to gas stoves. Usage of cloth bags to plastic bags has been encouraged across several cities in different countries, which has brought about a positive shift in mindset among youth.

Over the years, several campaigns and drives have popularized the 4 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse. Many of us have volunteered to educate people on how each one of them can benefit at a personal and community level. Some local organizations distributed paper bags to the people to make the general public aware of the incredible difference it makes in our daily lives as well as in our environment.

Food is a vital aspect of all of our daily lives. As the population keeps growing, the demand for food rises, and so does the need for agriculture, and that's where Urban Agriculture comes into play. Small countries like Singapore - which don't have much area to practice typical agriculture - have been putting together the nation's brightest minds to use modern technology in agriculture. More precisely, indoor agriculture gives these kind of countries a chance of expanding their opportunities in the field of food production without the need of clearing a part of the forest area.

As technology keeps advancing, it is our choice on how to put it to best use without exhausting the natural resources the world has provided us with. Humans could not survive wihtout the support of natural resources, so we have no right to exploit, pollute or harm the environment. It is also each individual's duty to protect biological diversity and conserve resources for future generations by practicing sustainable development.

-Sreelakshmi Shenoy

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