Environmental Social Sciences student Abbie Cushion explores sustainable living in this month’s InQuire. What are the barriers to achieving it?
Her article expands upon how cost can impede the participation of poorer people in sustainability movements, especially the lack of education on the topic itself. She also critiques how celebrities – such as business ‘tycoon’ Kylie Jenner – do not share the same concerns for their ecological impact that other people do, despite their staggering impact.
So what do we do when the cost is too high for alternatives? How are we to mobilise environmentalism when we cannot afford it?
‘The ignorance of the rich is a massive discouragement for many concerned about the environment, and those most likely so make some lifestyle changes in favour of it.’
Cushion writes ‘Like Jenner for example, using a private jet for a 12-minute plane journey articulates the apathy for environmental issues and impact, and just shows why we are feeling the pressure of global warming more and more. However, the piece suggests that we should still be actively trying to minimise our impact on the environment – and trying to live in a more sustainable way.’
‘The normalisation of sustainable living will only benefit the environment… it can help to apply pressure on institutions to initiate reform and therefore necessitate the reform of the top 1% before it is too late.’
Finally, she reiterates that individual action is still crucial for policy development and collectively reducing the strain on certain resources. ‘As well as this, there are plenty of groups on campus whose aims are to mobilise environmental action for students – such as the Sustainable Working Group and Environmental Conservation Sustainability society to name a few.’
Read the full article in the September issue of InQuire, which can be found in many outlets on campus.