learning for sustanable development

Simon Dresner(2002;p60)in "The Principles of Sustainability" describes the concept of sustainable development as the one which tries to put environment concern considering economic growth,seeking to make a good balance of one`s life style ideas.In theory sustainable development is that what you can do to utilise your environment to suite your needs to have affordable life style.

I am learning to be sustainable by all means considering my present situation where I have to travel all the way from Coventry to Northampton at least three to four times a week.I am driving a seven seater gas guzzler car on my own which is very unsustainable in a current hardship time.I need to change this car for a smaller manageable economic car immediately.I am finding it difficult to do it as I wish, because every body is trying to have as small cars as possible.It will take me some time to find a buyer for my car to change it for a smaller one.

Looking at the distance I travel of 40 miles single journey for the above number of times a week they need to be cut by leaving near university .This again its not all that easy because I am a family man of four, with three of of my children still going to school. I have to see to it that they have gone to school on daily basis before I start to travel to Northampton.This makes it more difficult for me to be on time at university unless all starting lessons from nine are changed to ten o'clock to give a little gap between schools starting times with that of university.This again cannot be easily done due to allocation of times for different discipline timetables.

I try to be sustainable by supporting the idea of reducing carbon emission from use of house energy by turning off all the lights and gadgets when not in use, turning off gas when not badly cold.At times this can be not possible due to different views of people in my house on when to turn heating on or off .On use of electricity and other gadgets I may think its all done but with teenagers in the house some gadgets like play stations,computers,x-box and other game stations may be switched on throughout the night without my knowledge.

In trying to keep the environment and conserving resources I also do recycling for all that needs to be recycled.I find this recycling at times disheartening because you should sort out recycled material by texture,if you mix up with other rubbish the bin men wont collect. This means you need to find somebody to do it for you or you do it yourself costing money which I am struggling to have at current.

I try by all means to keep my body healthy by eating health food everyday but at times the food will be cold, having nowhere to warm it.