Environmental Citizenship: What can Individuals Accomplish?

Environmental citizenship is a holistic approach, encompassing environmental awareness, consumption regulation, recycling and upcycling, volunteerism, support of local infrastructure, and an understanding that humans are an integral part of the Earth’s various processes. It is easy for humans to become disconnected from the natural world: work, school, social obligations, and a physical removal from the environment makes it easy for people to forget that we are intimately connected to nature.

One does not have to abandon their current way of life if it is proving unsustainable; rather, one must make feasible low or no impact concessions in their daily lives. This can be as simple as switching to energy efficient goods, or as complex as undertaking local sustainability initiatives. Eating local foods and supporting local businesses, as well as volunteering for community organizations, are all beneficial to the individual and the community they reside in.

The world we live in has finite resources, but an exponentially growing population. As time progresses, this means that there will be less resources spread across more people. With this in mind, everyone must actively do their share in reducing their ecological footprint while contributing to their communities and country.