And now for the final post in this series…
One of the easiest and most important things that can be learned from the way the natural world around us uses resources is that frugality is essentially the norm within ecosystems and their realm of species.
It could be said then that within the natural world, conservation is automatic, efficiency abounds, and wastefulness is essentially non-existent. It is the way the natural world operates, and is what keeps it in a harmonious balance. There is a use for everything, and nothing goes to waste.
Fast forward to the human-created industrial machine and the commercialistic society where we in the civilized world live. These principles do not seem to be the norm, and as a result, things have become out of balance, which are having a ripple effect upon the natural world, which has contributed to putting it out of balance. This has a negative effect upon all of us, much of which is rearing its ugly head during these times of economic and environmental crisis.
But can we extract these simple and effective principles with which the natural world operates and apply them to our daily lives and society to help save money and resources?
By all means yes. If there is anything which can help direct the economy and environment toward a better balance, these principles can…
Conservation is automatic. Hyper-consumption, which is promoted and encouraged by many factors of our society, leads to large profits by some, but also leads to an extreme amount of waste by many. Our society has become one that runs on a philosophy that things are disposable. After all, the more things get thrown away and wasted, the more void there is to fill with new products. It creates a market for them, which fills the coffers of companies with more and more profit in the short-term. But what about the long-term?
There is a breaking point, and we seem to be in it right now.
Societies that operate on this principle cannot be perpetually sustainable, period. There is only a limited number of resources within our world, so there is no room for waste. That is why the natural world has evolved and adapted around this principle, and that is why it has sustained itself for millions of years.
Like I mentioned in a previous post, money, in essence, is not natural. Yes, indeed, it is an important and useful tool, but the inherent philosophy that it drives is not generally compatible with nature. The economy will become much more sustainable over the long-term if it operates by a philosophy of ensured sustainability, rather than a nearsighted philosophy of obtaining maximum profitability in the short-term. This nearsightedness allows for waste, because the convenience of taking the easiest route to the most money can cloud vision and block out the long-term effects of this easy wastefulness.
The world will benefit greatly if the general principle of conservation is adopted on a wide-scale. But so too will your household…
Put in simple terms, the less products you consume in your home, the less money you are spending. In the future, I will post about many ways you can conserve around the house and save money to help give some ideas, but take a simple examination of the things you use, and you may see many opportunities for where you can reduce the amount of something you consume or where you can reuse something that may otherwise be headed for the trash bin.
A good place to start would be anything related to food, but more on that later…
Efficiency abounds. The biological systems of nature are extraordinarily efficient. Materials, nutrients, and resources are used in a way that makes them last the longest and in a way where the maximum benefit is achieved. Applying this principle around the home can save a lot of money, and prevent you from buying more than you really need. Look for ways where you find opportunities to apply this. Can you use one paper towel instead of two when cleaning? Would a 40-watt light bulb have the same end result as a 60-watt, therefore saving 20 watts of energy, but making no noticeable difference? How about brown bags for lunch? Do you find yourself using a new one every day, where instead you may be able to reuse an old plastic shopping bag?
You get the picture. There may be dozens of ways with which materials you use could be used even more efficiently, thereby saving you money.
Wastefulness is non-existent. As a result of the principles above, virtually nothing in nature goes to waste.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It really is. All it takes is keeping these principles at the forefront of your decision making.
When it is fully understood that the less resources used equals money saved across the board, then eventually, things can help get back toward more balance.
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