Sustainability, Adaptation and Nature Conservation for our well being

Sustainability is willingness and relevant adaptation of things to avoid possible conflicts and failures. In case of Mother Nature and human civilization, the controlled use of any services or products to make them last as much longer as possible without disturbing the balance of ecological patterns is sustainability. Human beings being a natural product can grow at its best and live longer in naturally healthy environment than any other artificially decorated luxurious cities. Everything we consume is best at its natural state where as GMO and toxic food products are found responsible for the frequently recurring illness, development of new diseases and lack of immune response from our body. As time has proved that human race is to live a better life but not away from nature. Nature conservation should be our core intention while doing any activities on earth. These days well to do families are coming back to nature without detaching themselves from normal lifestyle and work schedules. Goal is to live better life but is it possible to do so by avoiding natural processes? What will happen if natural disasters and pandemic live COVID-19 keep on hitting back human civilization more frequently?

We human beings have almost forgotten that we are natural product except some recently developed robots which can perform serious human jobs with/without relevant expressions. Never the less we all have to be aware about what will be the situation when no forest remains due to excessive deforestation in the name of modern developments causing lack of rainfalls and eventually no crops in the field due to infertility. This situation sounds horrible to human civilization and already a disaster for wild animals. Restoration of nature after destruction is an option which may or may not be able to revive nature like original because it will be a secondary succession in scientific term. Conservation of natural resources while using it in a responsible manner can help sustain the vitality for longer time.

Travel industry among all other industries responsible for nature depletion can play a vital role in making large number of diversified global population aware of climate change consequences and ways to become naturally responsible. This industry even can play a better role in nature conservation. Most of the famous tourist hubs are in existence because of natural attractions. For reference Extollo Adventures can be a role model of sustainable and responsible tourism as it teaches travelers eco-friendly lifestyle , periodically cleans the Himalayan trails, encourage and support local community for nature conservation and has defined forest conservation as their primary action against climate change by implementing sustainable forest projects in community forests of Nepal.

Sustainability for Independent & Cheerful living:

Every house where we live has to be supplied with various resources to continue the life in it. These days houses only provide good enough shelter and comfort while living in. Instead many of our daily requirements can be produced within our house to reduce the dependency with external sources. This process with application of very simple practices can be more economically beneficial to all who earn but spend good amount of money just for household purposes. Sustainable use of any resources by applying simple means and technique can decrease the overuse of resources making them last longer than normal. Responsible consumption behavior can make us more independent to the resource suppliers while taking longer time to order the same resources from market. Likewise collectively a community and then a country can be independent for all the resources it requires is approaches are taken towards sustainability. This habit eventually helps decrease the carbon emission by reducing the production loads.

When an individual can live a life free of fear and uncertainty or forgets it for an instance then it becomes cheerful. According to latest researches the fear of natural disaster is seen in 1 person among group of 10 individuals. Also there is strong argument and evidence within global community about human induced natural disasters. Here we can find correlation between the human activities and disasters we are facing. We can also conclude that, not like a magic but in a long term if the nature destruction by human beings can be brought under limit then there could be enough time to adopt inevitable climate change impacts as well as the frequency and intensity of natural disasters can be lowered. Hence there will be fearless human life ahead.

Nature conservation and ecological balance for sustainability:

The destruction of nature and natural resources in an uncontrolled ways without proper assessment of its consequences is causing acceleration of climate change process. Once any component of ecology is destructed then sustainability chain is broken causing ecological imbalance. The impact is seen first in agriculture sector and then will propagate to all who depends on agro based food materials. The environmental impact assessment of any development work around the world is seemed to be negatively influenced by contractors and investors for their own economic benefits rather than ecological concern in the society. For the instant benefits and luxury we kept on destroying 100 of years old natural existence. Whenever we destroy the existing nature and try to establish new over it, this becomes succession in which the previously present resources will not be available causing huge ecological imbalance and eventually alteration of natural processes like extreme weather patterns. This even aids in frequent natural disasters causing socio-economic imbalances like Coronavirus recently did. Hence for our long lasting healthy lives it is really vital to protect the nature and natural existence like what it was previously. Or we must protect the remaining natural existence around the world otherwise there lies a risk of sixth mass extinction right ahead of human civilization.

In the recent days nature has been destroyed for many countless reasons around the globe. Some of the natural sites with extreme weather where human beings cannot survive for long like the Himalayas remained preserved from human destructions. We human beings are now facing the adverse impact of climate change due to nature destruction. In search of fast paced development and luxury by exploitation of governing regulation in many developing/underdeveloped countries of the world, the rate of natural destruction is increasing in exponential ratio everyday without any sign to stop it. Educated and well learned human beings should be aware of the fact that there will be no life or very tough life in absence of the healthy natural resources. We should not forget that nature was not created by Human beings and can never be restored to its original form once destroyed. So it is wise to find a sustainable way to live with nature or we will be naturally selected in course of time as we are already seeing the rise in frequencies of natural disasters and irreversible damages in the ecology around us. We have to be aware that physiology and morphology of living beings are adopted by nature in accordance to habitats and habits they have been using from the ancient time. Developments of different new diseases in recent years are proved to be originated from the foods we eat and activities we do. Stress and bills became mandatory part of our life whereas our healthy life and healthy planet should be top priority. Human beings were living their longest and happiest lives before few decades than the life expectancy we have now. So what went missing?

Tips for Eco-friendly living and responsible tourism:

First: Reduce

The critical first step of waste prevention has been overshadowed by a focus on recycling. Please help to promote a greater awareness of the importance of the “Reduce” part of the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle mantra.

Second: Reuse

The media has done a wonderful job of selling us on the attractiveness and benefits of buying “new”, “improved”, “special”, etc. products. However, we already collectively own so much that we could all survive for quite a while on the existing products — if we just reused them a few times!

Third: Recycle

Recycle your Plastic Bottle Tops: Plastic bottle recycling can now handle recycling plastic bottle tops — keep the lids on. Better yet, switch to reusable glass or metal drinking bottles and skip the plastic bottles all together.

Fourth: Refuse

Refuse Products that Create Waste. If available, instead of buying processed food, bring your own bags and containers. Buy from the bulk and produce sections of the grocery store. Minimize or eliminate other types of purchases that generate waste.

Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Know Your Appliances:

Great list of typical energy use per appliance to help prioritize your approach to saving energy. When/if replacing appliances look for energy saving (i.e., Energy Star) or, better yet, hand-powered models (consider used older models which have proven longevity).

Bring back the clothesline!:

Using a clothesline to dry your clothes whenever possible is a great way to reduce carbon emissions.

Carbon Footprint:

The Carbon Footprint Calculator helps you to determine your carbon dioxide emissions from major sources: home energy consumption and transportation by car and plane. We can track this information over time. This allows you to gauge the impact of actions you take to reduce your carbon footprint.

Draught-Excluder for Chimneys:

Even with a damp, a lot of heat flows up chimneys in the winter. Check out the Chimney Sheep to save on heating and reduce uncomfortable drafts.

Self-Learning Thermostat:

Check out The Nest for potentially large savings in heating and cooling.

Carbon Offsets:

If you are taking a trip, consider buying carbon emission offsets. One well-respected Green-e certified company is TerraPass.

Home Shade:

In hot areas, if you have west-facing windows use window treatments such as blinds, tints, deciduous trees or trellises to help keep out heat from the summer sun. In general, you will lower your summer air-conditioning bill by planting trees and bushes along the west side of your home.

Paint Colors:

Paint your home a light color if you live in a warm climate and a dark color if you live in a cold climate.

Residential Energy Use Insulation:

Insulate your hot water heater (a tank that is warm to the touch needs added insulation), as well as hot water pipes and ducts located in unheated areas.

Standby Power:

Reduce “standby power” (the energy used while an appliance is switched off or not performing) at home and at work. The easiest way is to unplug appliances that are not being used. You can also plug your appliances into bye bye standby or smart meters so that they are powered down completely when turned off.

Lights Off:

Whenever possible, keep lights off during the day. If we need more light consider installing a well insulated skylight. Encourage family members to get in the habit of turning off lights when they leave a room (taping small reminder notes to light switches can help).

Power-Saving Features:

Learn about easy ways to reduce energy use by your computer with the Power Management for Computers guide

Location of Home:

Choose a place to live that reduces the need to drive (easy access to public transit, easy biking routes, close to work and stores, walkable community, etc.).

Solar Cooker:

Consider using a solar cooker to cook some of your meals.

Energy Conservation — Reach for the Cold One Cold Water:

When turning on a water faucet, unless you need warm water choose the coolest water setting.

Energy Efficient Mortgages (U.S.):

EEM’s let you borrow extra money to pay for energy efficient upgrades to your current home or a new or old home that you plan to buy.

Renewable Energy Certificates (REC):

If you don’t have the ability to switch to renewable energy, consider buying an REC which let’s you essentially purchase renewable energy without switching electricity suppliers.

Invest in Energy:

Investing in renewable energy production is the same as investing in a home or office building. Buying energy from a utility, on the other hand, is like renting — at the end of fifteen years you don’t have anything to show for it — and you are left vulnerable to the fluctuating costs of energy. One investment option is solar panels which can produce energy for 40 years or more — far longer than it takes to pay off the \ installation costs (currently around 15 years for homeowners and only 7 years for businesses). Wind power, where available, has a far quicker payback period.

Conserve Water:

Freshwater degradation is a looming crisis that we must face head on with strong and effective actions. Please do your part to protect this precious resource. Call upon your elected representatives to take action today to protect not just future generations but our own future by adopting sustainable water practices. Only 3% of the earth’s water is freshwater — we must protect this critical resource. In addition, water-related energy consumes a large amount of energy. In California, for example, water use consumes 19% of the state’s electricity, 30% of it’s natural gas, and 88 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually.

For the extended tips to live eco-friendly life kindly follow the link below:

http://www.globalstewards.org/

Sustainability adaptation by travel industry:

These days tourism business are found to be more committed to environmentally-sustainable practices than other types of business proving best ways to develop the capacity to learn and adopt changes. Following the same trends, Extollo Adventures is also committed to embed sustainability into its trip operation and planning in an innovative ways. It aims to protect the natural existence of tourist destinations where they are operating trips. Especially in Nepal, it has become a role model of Travel Company to conserve nature and practice responsible tourism. Extollo team here in Nepal is literally protecting the large area of forests, mountain trails and helping Himalayas fight against climate change. We can see Nepal can be the best place of choice for conservation activities because this country houses a vital Himalayan ecology, large area of forests and is 2nd richest country in water sources. Moreover the people of this country still worship nature as a form of god.

It has been proved within the tourism industry, as the adaptability of the sector enables tourism industries to be designed and implemented which provide a development pathway to environmental Sustainability, such as through ecotourism ventures. Tourism businesses rated themselves as significantly better, able to generate local employment opportunities than other businesses. However, the environmental indicators showed several differences between tourism and non-tourism businesses in terms of the environmental indicators. Specifically, the tourism businesses were significantly more capable of measuring the amount of water used for operations, committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions , committed to reduce purchases of non-renewable materials, chemicals, and components , committed to recycling its waste , likely to have purchased solar panels, likely to have a recycling program or strategy in place ,likely to be using energy efficient appliances , likely to be using lighting, heating, air-conditioning, plant machinery, and vehicles responsibly, and likely to be encouraging the use of public or shared transport by staff and customers .Importantly, this shows that tourism rates itself more highly in terms of its environmental performance on a number of indicators than what other businesses do.

The adoption of sustainability practices are widely embraced within a number of business structures and across industries. Sustainability is a concept that is increasingly embedded within large businesses; however, social pressure has led to greater adoption of sustainability practices within small-to-medium-sized enterprises. For instance, a study found that empowering and engaging employees and clients within sustainability initiatives increased the likelihood of businesses to embrace sustainable practices within all organizational activities. Sustainability is a practice that must be measured to determine the effectiveness, and businesses should focus on developing better measures of sustainability. Long-term sustainability will result not from movement along a smooth trajectory, rather from continuous adaptation to changing conditions.

Despite the seemingly broad adoption of sustainability within tourism, the sector continues to be seen as a slow adopter of sustainability, as well as being portrayed as a lower performing sector in terms of sustainable practices. Tourism businesses were found to be more committed to environmentally-sustainable practices than other types of businesses. With there being a clear correlation with their ability to learn and adapt ongoing changes. In fact, this finding reinforces the fact that the tourism sector is dynamic, requiring frequent and fluid adaptation to align with changing consumer demands, external ‘shocks’ to the sector, and an ever-changing business circumstances.

Travel industry can play major role in protecting nature as well as creating awareness for the sake of responsible lifestyle. The diversified tourism market and the capacity of socially influential travelers is an asset to create a chain of moment towards nature conservation and sustainable practices. Use of modern technology, accessibility and knowledge will help gain the Sustainable Development Goals with ease once people are aware of climate change impacts. A research also suggests that the social networking sites positively influence the post-consumption experience stage of the travel cycle by providing adequate tools and services to smart tourists to evaluate their experience and share it with their peers and friends, mainly posting reviews, photos and recommendations on social networking sites, with the aim of advocating for sustainable practices and influencing other tourists to behave in a similar responsible manner.

References:

1) Ningbo University-University of Angers Joint Institute/Sino-European Institute of Tourism and Culture

2) Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4000, Australia

3) USC Business School, Faculty of Arts, Business and Law, University of the Sunshine Coast,

Sippy Downs 4556, Australia

4) School of Business and Tourism, Southern Cross University, Coolangatta 4225, Australia

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5) Author’s practical experience in nature conservation

6) Global Stewards

Author:

Nabin Dhital

Nature and ecology researcher