Why Bother Lying?

In today’s world, sustainability or being sustainable is a concept that most people have heard of. Some companies incorporate sustainability into their policies, such as Velvet; promise that for every tree they use, they will plant three more. (http://www.velvettissue.com/velvet/plantthree.aspx)

Also, one of the factors that helped London to win the bid for the 2012 Games was its promise of sustainability and to make these Olympic Games the greenest games ever.

But how many of us actually do care? Most people will turn around and say they are ‘doing their bit for the environment’, I mean after all we are recycling our plastics and tins and glass. But is this actually making a difference? Given the choice between using a car to get to work, and getting the bus, which would you pick? If I am being honest, I would pick my car. There is a reason I bought my car. It is more convenient for me to use as a mode of transport, I don’t need to worry about having enough change for a ticket, and I don’t have to leave the house 20 minutes early to get to my car like you have to with a bus.

If presented with the option between a Ford car, and an Audi, I would pick the Audi. I have a Ford KA at the moment, and it’s a great little car, but in today’s society it’s acceptable to have a nicer car, and is almost a sign of wealth and affluence. I have also previously thought about where I would like to live. I would love to have a large house in the countryside, with a relatively large plot of land to perhaps be able to keep some chickens. I have always thought I would prefer the peace of the countryside as opposed to city living, and if you’re going to have country living, there is no point in doing it by half’s.

http://www.countrycottagesdevonengland.co.uk/countrycottagesdevonengland.htm

As far as holidays are concerned, I have had quite a few holidays around the UK, or some years not been away at all, but I will admit that my family have not chosen to do this out of concern for our carbon footprint, but more from a economic point. We have had some holidays abroad, and I can speak for my whole family when I say that if money were no object, we would be travelling abroad more often, and to somewhere more exotic than the previously visited France or Menorca. From an individual perspective, I would love to see the world, I would love to travel. I understand that this is probably an unrealistic wish. These desires have probably stemmed from being so interested in the world, which has been fed by geography all the way through school to the present day, and also from Travel and Tourism A-Levels. I do however appreciate the fact that as a geographer, I should be thinking more about the impact that this would have.

I admit I am one of those people that wants the latest phone, or IPod, and if my monetary fund’s permitted it, I would also have an Ipad. There is no question that I wouldn't swap my phone, for a Tesco handset. Clothes shopping I could possibly go without. I have never been one to follow the latest fashions or trends, and don’t go clothes shopping that often, so at a push I could possibly give up clothes shopping for a year. Handbags however, are a different story!

Fruit is a little bit more difficult to say whether I would stop eating out of season fruits. I do like some fruits, but I’m quite picky. I love Grapes, Strawberries and Bananas. I don’t really like oranges that much, so that wouldn’t worry me. But I can’t say that I would want to give up other fruits.

After writing this report, I have shocked myself at how little I am willing to change to help protect the environment. Unfortunately, the younger generation had been brought up in a world full of consumerism and technology, which is promoted by the media. I do recycle, as it makes me feel better about the fact I’m doing something to help, when in fact, I’m really not. When it comes to having a flashy car, or the latest phone, I think image has a large part to play in people wanting the best. It would be great to think that wind farms or solar energy is simply the answer to all the world’s problems, but I am unsure, I think we may have passed the point in which these methods are of help. If we are to change our ways, we need to target younger generations than ourselves, who aren’t yet old enough to have been taken in by consumerism, and are still young enough to learn new ways. The rest of us I think need shock tactics, but not just facts, figures and pictures. I think people will start to change if they start to actually experience the problems that we are faced with.



http://thisthatwhatever.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/guava-guava/

http://www.aca-demy.co.uk/browse-results.php?browseby=tags&drilldown=2012