A brief reflection on our environmental conscience.
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When my Mum started recycling in the early 2000’s the reasoning behind the practice was unknown, unnecessary, to me. The notion of ‘climate change’, ‘sustainable living’, or ‘global warming’ didn’t once cross my mind. It belonged to the responsible people of the world – the older generation, the politicians, the campaigners - who controlled practices, and who implemented change for the rest of us. As long as I was allowed to race my brother and see who could empty their bag of sticky plastics, or smelly glass goods the quickest, I was happy.
Fast forward ten years, and the practice of recycling has become a part of our everyday culture. No household is complete without the sacred blue-topped wheelie bin parked outside, and our knowledge on how to shrink, squash, and contort plastic bottles has developed tenfold. I personally have become obsessed with recycling every single piece of packaging I can get my hands on - to the point where I’m frustrated to find that ‘film’ will apparently never be currently recycled, and where every celebratory occasion isn’t complete without the final act of sorting through the remnants of wrappings, gift-tags, and pieces of ribbon in order to find out what can be reused or sent to be made useful once more.
Despite what might sound like obsessive behaviour it would appear that I’m not alone in going the extra mile, apparently we’re all at it. Evident when one considers it is estimated that British households went from recycling only 17 percent of their waste in 2003,[1] to 44 percent in 2016.[2] Admittedly, 44 percent seems like a seriously low number of people considering the expanse of doomsday knowledge we now have at our fingertips regarding climate change, however I like to look at this reasonably sharp rise in recycling activity as some kind of victory!
After all, positive activity like this not only enables for future use and reproduction of items and materials - that would otherwise be discarded and left to gradually decompose. More importantly, it highlights our changed opinion on the matter of sustainability, and proves that we as a culture have come to recognise the value of investing time and energy to care for the wellbeing of the planet. A consideration that is supported further when one reflects on the many other behavioural changes individuals have come to adopt, or practices and beliefs that people continually support and dedicate their time to, in order to ensure the longevity of our earth. Consider those charities and organisations who promote the importance of our relationship with nature, and who encourage us to respect and admire the simplicity of our natural world – ‘The Woodland Trust’, ‘RSPB’, and ‘Friends of Conservation’, to name but a few. Alternatively, consider the Vegan approach – a lifestyle that seeks to remove as much, if not all, animal product from daily life. In the hope that we might restore our overused land, and polluted air, to its former glory. Finally, reflect on those manufacturers who are willing to risk large sums of money in order to invest and create products and machines that might have but a minimal effect on the wellbeing of the planet – from anything such as the manufacturing of cars to the production of mechanised litter collectors.
Considering this, we as a society have come far, it seems, and it is important to recognise and celebrate the positive progress we’ve made. From blissful ignorance, to a present culture that is educated and interested in developing a sustainable relationship with the world in which we live. Topics such as ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’ are no longer conversations and debates restricted to the walls of parliament or other niche settings. Instead, this environmental subject-matter has become commonplace conversation in our own homes, and as a result we as a species are now more aware than ever of the implications and consequences of our actions in relation to our surroundings. Equally, more local activity - such as the deterioration of native species or the destruction of habitat – has come to be understood as negative in relation to our immediate environment. And has thus encouraged many to further participate in the restoration and conservation of natural areas. This environmental conscience will, it is hoped, encourage an attitude through which people will perpetually act for the environment, and for the benefit of the earth. As it is through this kind of mentality, this ‘environmentalist’ way of thinking, that we will inevitably act for the benefit of ourselves, and the generations yet to come.
Yet more can be done, and behaviour is yet to be changed. The act of recycling is one of the easiest acknowledgements we as a society can make to promote the positive nature of sustainability. Despite this, countless homes continue to ignore the practice, and businesses throughout the country find themselves unable to afford the rates charged by the government in order to donate the many tons of packaging and wasted products to the cause. Additionally, our incessant development and expansion - that takes place on both local and national scales – as our population continues to expand, does nothing for the benefit of those wild areas and communities that exist on the periphery of our society. The balance, therefore, is difficult. And the reality of the situation is that the wellbeing of our surroundings is limited not by the national funding our government, and those across the globe, deem appropriate to the cause. But also by our own ethical conscience towards the matter; for it is so often the voice of the masses that implements true societal change. However, it is my belief that as long as we educate ourselves on the significance of our earth as a unique, and diverse community. That is, as long as we recognise our surroundings as being something that is worthy of having a value of its own. We will acknowledge nature in our moral deliberations, and ultimately, come to recognise the implications of our actions on the natural world as being something entirely necessary.
[1] Figures provided by ‘recycling-guide’, an online resource available to the public. http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/facts.html
[2] Statistics provided by government research: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, ‘Digest of Waste and Resource Statistics – 2016 Edition (revised), 30 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567502/Digest_waste_resource_2016_rev4.pdf