This article doesn’t start where you might think a typical guide should. We won’t ask how many lamps you have in your house, or what kind of vehicle you drive, or whether you use paper, plastic, or cloth bags at the grocery store. All that—and more—come later in the series of FIW. We start first by helping you identify what’s important to YOU—as an individual and as a member of a family and a community.
What this guide is all about
Our goals are to:
• Introduce the concept of sustainable living
• Identify three barriers to living sustainably in Nigeria and suggest ways to overcome them
• Help you begin to identify your personal values
• Show you how to use the “triple win” sustain- ability triangle in your lifestyle choices
• Help you decide how to incorporate sustainable behaviors into your everyday life
This guide focuses on making choices to improve quality of life and reduce negative impact on the environment. You’ll find information and activities to help you be more thoughtful about lifestyle choices and determine what’s really important to you and your family. We’ve included space to jot down your ideas, or you might want to keep a journal as you go through the guide. The decision to accept your financial status and live sustainably is intensely personal. Some people make changes to save money; others make changes to protect the environment; still others make changes to allow more time to pursue other things in life. It really doesn’t matter why we choose to adopt a sustainable behavior because the end result—a more sustainable life, community, and planet—is the same.
Each and every reason is valid and contributes to the individuality of this process.
What is sustainable living?
It’s about making changes and informed choices, even small ones, which improve the quality of our lives and of the planet for future generations. However, there can be misconceptions about what a sustainable lifestyle looks like. Can I drive the kind of vehicle I want and still be living sustainably? Can I have credit cards, shop at a mall, or go to the movies?