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Sustainability

Introduction

The “ability to sustain” is what underpins the term sustainability. True sustainability is only possible if one’s consumption is less than the capacity of one’s production or period of recovery. For example, using water from a pond in your backyard to irrigate your garden can only be sustainable if the amount of water used for irrigation during the dry season is less than the amount of water the pond stocks during the rainy season. If the pond dries out before the end of the dry season, the extraction of water for irrigation is unsustainable.

Energy, Economy & Climate Change

Most natural resources are limited, and over-consumption or over-exploitation can cause adverse and sometimes unpredictable consequences. The excessive use of fossil fuels for transport and energy have affected the natural balance of the planet’s atmosphere, leading to climate change. Climate change is becoming more evident through increasingly extreme and frequent weather conditions. Flash floods and droughts, for example, directly affect the economy. Not only do these phenomenon increase insurance costs, but they also threaten both agribusiness and livelihood.

However, as energy consumers we are all able to collaborate on a transition towards a more sustainable existence. If you are interested in playing an important part in minimizing climate change and increasing UK Energy resilience, we can introduce you to a range of possibilities and other organizations that will inspire you to take action.

Energy Beyond

Energy is most often associated with electricity, but certainly goes beyond that. Energy is everywhere, embedded in all of our products and produce. For example, crops can only thrive with the right amount of sunlight (the sun’s energy). This is why most of the UK’s harvesting is done during the summer and autumn, just after the plants have converted the longer hours of sunlight into nutritious grains, fruits and veggies.

We often forget that energy is used for refrigeration of meat and other frozen products, or just how much energy goes into producing plastic or glass packaging. It is also easy to forget all of the environmental and transportation costs involved in the disposal and/or recycling of this packaging.

Therefore, we propose a more integrated way of thinking when it comes to energy consumption and invite the community to join forces for action towards a more sustainable present and future.

Where Can I start?