What is sustainability

Sustainability is the condition which humans and nature can exist in productive agreement and maintain health and resources in an environment for long term use. For example: care for soils and keep them fertile keep a sufficient quantity and quality of water for future generations If we are sustainable, it will be possible to fulfil the social and economic needs of today and future generations as well as other requirements. Sustainability is essential because it will protect human and environmental health as long as we have and continue to have water, materials and resources.

Electricity Water Other

There are several ways to minimise your electricity use in your home. Not only will it make your electricity bill smaller but it will be doing favours for the planet by decreasing air pollution and global warming, just to name a few. These are ways that you can reduce electricity in your home: turn off and unplug power points at night turn lights/appliances off when leaving room put in insulation use halogen/low energy light bulb use solar heating/electricity use candles occasionally buy low energy use appliances lower the thermostat use appliances efficiently Following these simple tips will save you thousands each year and will contribute to keeping the world healthier. Back Candles

Reducing water use is easy if you know how to apply it to your home. Water is very important for all living things and that is why we need to preserve it. It doesn’t only keep humans hydrated but also to the natural environment. Here are some very simple ideas that will reduce water use and make a huge difference to the environment: have shorter showers recycle bath/clothes water for gardens water saving shower head turn the tap off while cleaning teeth have a rain tank buy water saving appliances fix dripping taps have hardy plants that use less water Back

There are a few other acts you can do that will keep the earth greener including: Minimise chemical use Minimize packaging. This means less waste. Remember the three R’s. Reduce, reuse and recycle. Every time you put rubbish in the bin, think, can I reuse this, can I put in the recycling or do I need to buy this item again to reduce? It is not hard to reduce, reuse and recycle if you think before you throw away your rubbish. Some things can only go in the bin but make sure they go in the correct bin. Do not leave your litter on the ground. This is one of the easiest things you can do to protect the environment.

Electricity Water Chemicals

Your home is not the only place where you can save electricity. Your local school is a great place to lend a hand and make it more environmentally friendly. These are ways in which you can save energy in your school: turn lights/appliances off use fluorescent lights gas heaters close the doors lower heating and air conditioning use get student involved Create fun ways that kids can get involved in making your school greener. This means that the future generations will know about sustainability and can apply it to there home/workplace when they get older. Back

Reducing water can be hard at school with kids around but there are ways in which you can save. These include: Have a half flush/smaller cistern Minimise irrigation in the agriculture plot Teach the children how to conserve water Put buckets under bubblers to reduce wastage and put the water on the garden Go on excursions to sustainable farms in your area to give a visual image of what water sustainability is. Back ½ flush toilet

Reducing chemicals can happen in the science room and in the agriculture plot. In science you can use less chemicals and in the ag plot you can physically removing weeds to reduce herbicide use. Get rid of burrs and weeds with a shovel or hoe and this gets the kids involved. Bathurst Burrs Thistle

Paper is the main form of rubbish in schools and it is very important that we reduce, reuse and recycle it. If it can’t be reduced or reuse it is great to recycle it rather than put it in the bin. Recycling has environmental, economic and social advantages and it also helps prevent environmental pollution, saves natural resources and reduces the amount of material dumped in landfill sites. These are things that we can do to recycle in our school: Set up recycling bins in each classroom for students and teachers use Get students to create posters and labels about recycling Hold assemblies to inform the pupils Make sure that the teachers and staff understand the importance of recycling Have a recycling art/craft lesson (great ideas online!)

There are more than a few ways you can save in your workplace. Here are some examples: Promote sustainability with poster/ s/rewards Read reports online Reduce printing and paper use buy using /hard drives/print on both sides of paper Buy recycled or sustainably sourced paper Reuse stationary Introduce a recycling bin system Encourage using the stairs not the lift Walk to work instead of driving Use ‘green’ electricity Don’t use plastic cups and bottles Have a half flush/smaller cistern toilet Promoting energy saving ideas is very important because your work colleges can also apply it to their own home. It will not only be saving their business money, it will be for you and them. Back

In your workplace, you can recycle paper, food, waste and carbon. You can reduce waste as well. In an agricultural business you can also: Direct drill rather than crush all the soil creating erosion Stubble retention can reduce erosion Grow plants which absorb carbon from the atmosphere Stubble retention Direct drilling