Daniel Philip 1085 Whose responsibility is sustainability? Sustainable living or sustainability is a way to reduce the demands of natural resources and to make sure that we use them to the best of our ability. This means that we should not waste the natural resources by using it for other things. This sometimes also means that we must change the way we do things and become part of the cycle of life. This is an opportunity for us to live sustainably so that we can remove or reduce the carbon footprint or other things that give a bad impact to the environment. If we adopt the actions of sustainable living, we can also help the earth from experiencing climate change, depletion of ozone layer, etc. By using public transportation such as city buses, trams and passenger trains can also help us to live sustainably and make this planet an even better place (Kukreja, n.d.). GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Most people would agree that sustainable living is a great idea, while other people may disagree about the concept of sustainability. Sustainability is also highly unlikely for people to agree on. People can work together to live sustainably and have a better and healthy life. And when it comes to the people that should be responsible for this, they will probably think that the government is responsible for it. Some people also think that individuals/consumers or the corporations are responsible for it (Bartkowski, 2014). Firstly, individuals have agreements with their companies and their own personal lives. This will restrict the differences that an individual can make. But also, individuals are the “base” of a government and corporations, which means that they are able to create changes within an organization. Since not everyone would be interested in creating changes, conglomerates are encouraged to motivate people to create an impactful change. Moreover, corporations are required to motivate their employees to create new ideas. For example, West Monroe Partners encourages individuals to submit their ideas and promises to submit their ideas and promises to financially support the best ideas every year. One of these ideas is giving consumers education and tools to allow them to monitor their usage and consumption of energy so that they can understand more about how to make a better environment and how to save money. The utilities can also manage the renewable Daniel Philip 1085 resources in a better way so that it can meet the demands of the consumers and the regulators. Competition in the market might also help companies to pursue more innovative ideas. Competition in the market is also crucial. For example, if an international distributor with a great market share sets the precedent to the liking of the consumer for more sustainable products, other companies with a lower market share might as well follow. So, if the consumers and companies have limited power, what can the government do? Governments can also set regulations to make sure that businesses can incorporate economic advantages and motives into their everyday operations. Governments can start giving corporations or other organizations ideas and create rules for the consumers (Groot, 2014). However, there are some setbacks that will restrict this potential. Firstly, governments and parliaments are reactive in nature as they are doing nothing against the needs of the majority of people, at least not openly. Political lobbies may also play a role, since politicians are dependent not solely on voters, but also, sadly, on donors. Additionally, as exemplified by the “eco-policies” of the European Union, pro-sustainability rules and laws are rarely uncontroversial, but are more typically solely symbolic and make large bureaucracies that themselves are unsustainable, in an exceedingly broad sense. Lastly, the inertia and slowness of political processes build it not possible to stay track of and react to all or any the unsustainable developments in production and consumption, a tangle Friedrich Hayek justly noted in his critique of economist policies (Bartkowski, 2014). NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most inhabited country, has achieved a spectacular economic process, with per capita value rising from $800 in 2000 to just about $4,000 in 2018. However, this has returned at a price, with unsustainable levels of resource extraction, a surge in motorized vehicle traffic and serious reliance on coal-burning, that contributes to air pollution-related diseases suffered by nearly an hour of the capital of Indonesia residents. Property development in Indonesia would force a low-carbon pathway which will drive growth while enhancing health, welfare, and climate resilience ("Indonesia Adopts Its First-Ever Sustainable Development Plan", 2020). In Indonesia, there is also about 3 million tons of plastic waste was produced in 2014, which makes Indonesia one of the world’s largest plastic waste producers, and about 1 million tons end up being in water bodies, such as rivers and oceans due to poor waste management ("Where to Invest: Waste Management Sector in Indonesia", n.d.). PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE Daniel Philip 1085 From my perspective, I believe that sustainable living is a great way to save the environment. Living sustainably is actually simple, yet very impactful to the environment around us. For example, reducing the amount of plastic water bottles used, conserving the amount of resources and also recycling some things. Even though it is simple, some people are not willing to do such things. People might not have the initiative to live sustainably, because they prefer to live how they are living right now. We should live sustainably or achieve sustainability for the sake of people around us. Here is another question. What if there is no such thing as sustainable living or sustainability? What will happen to the environment around us? What will happen to the people around the world?. I think if there is no such thing as sustainable living or sustainability, the environment would suffer the negative impacts and life would not thrive. In other words, living sustainably is essential to maintain humanity’s quality of life. POSSIBLE SCENARIOS Sustainable living would give a lot of instantaneous benefits for the world. For example, by protecting the planet, you'll breathe less poisonous gases as air pollution is reduced, encountering less extreme climate conditions and appreciating the normal marvels the earth gives. In the event that you don't, you'll experience the opposite. Future generations will also be affected in a positive way. If the health of the earth is not protected, future generations will not be able to have good health and also not be able to experience a happy life. Other living things (plants and animals) will also be saved due to our effort in protecting the environment of Earth (Gill, 2019). POSSIBLE COURSES OF ACTION There are lots of ways people can live sustainably. One of those ways is to reduce waste, such as liquid waste, solid waste, organic waste, recyclable waste and hazardous waste. Liquid waste is dirty or hazardous liquid that is thrown away. There are two types of liquid waste, which are point source waste, which are manufactured liquids, and nonpoint source waste, which occur naturally. Liquid waste is also called wastewater. There are three ways to dispose or remove liquid waste. The first one is containment. This method makes use of barrels or tanks to store the liquid so that they are able to be removed. This will prevent the liquid from being thrown away. The second way is treatment. In this method, the water is treated and it can also be reused instead of being thrown away. The last one is disposal. This method can be used if the liquid cannot be treated or reused. Daniel Philip 1085 Solid waste is waste that can be found in different locations, mainly industrial and commercial. The examples are glass and ceramics, plastic waste, plastic rubbish, paper rubbish and metals and tins. There is a specific way to remove this. For example, if plastic waste is to be removed, it should not be mixed with other regular waste. These should be sorted out before being disposed of. Most metals and papers can be recycled. However, most plastics can’t be recycled as they are non-biodegradable waste. Organic waste comes from food and plants. It can also be called biodegradable ("5 Types of Waste; Do You Know Them? - DTM Skips Blog", 2019). Lack of oxygen will cause organic waste to go through the process of anaerobic decomposition, which will then release methane to the atmosphere. This is why landfills wouldn’t work in disposing of organic waste. This waste can be disposed of through the process of composting. Composting is a method of decomposing organic materials in a quick and constrained way to produce healthy and fertile soil. It is relatively accessible to all, allowing most people to compost their organic waste in their own backyard. An underrated statistic is that approximately 500 pounds of organic waste can be removed from each household per year by this simple process ("Organic Waste | Hazardous Waste Experts", 2014). Recyclable waste refers to waste that can be reused for other purposes. Items such as paper, cardboard, glass bottles, rigid plastic products, metal containers and food waste can be recycled. There is some waste that can’t be recycled, such as electronic waste, styrofoam, plastic bags, light bulbs and mirrors (McCulloch, 2019). In order to dispose of this, make sure to sort out the items that can be recycled and items that can’t be recycled. Checking the item’s packaging could be really helpful as you can know whether the item is recyclable or not recyclable ("5 Types of Waste; Do You Know Them? - DTM Skips Blog", 2019). Hazardous waste could be flammable, corrosive, toxic and reactive. This type of waste can cause a dangerous threat to the environment around us. Hazardous waste can be disposed of by recycling, incinerating, pyrolysis and it can also be disposed of in landfill. The way incineration works is by reducing the amount of hazardous waste and energy will be produced. The most effective way to dispose of hazardous waste is by pyrolysis ("5 Types of Waste; Do You Know Them? - DTM Skips Blog", 2019). The way it works is by warming up any hazardous organic waste without using oxygen so that there will be no combustion. Chemical compounds will then be decomposed into combustible gases and charcoal by thermal decomposition ("What is Pyrolysis? : USDA ARS", 2017). The process regularly happens at temperatures over 430°C (800°F) and this process will work under tension. At the same time, it includes the change in physical stage and chemical composition and the process Daniel Philip 1085 cannot be reversed. There are three types of pyrolysis, which are slow pyrolysis, flash pyrolysis and fast pyrolysis (Cheriyadath, 2013). In Indonesia, sustainable development has become a national goal. In 2030, the efforts for the fulfillment of the goal will be made upon MDGs accomplishments. The country has made a Presidential Decree as the legal basis for SDGs implementation. A National Coordination Team has also been made and will be represented by stakeholders under the leadership of Indonesia’s president ("Indonesia’s Commitment to Sustainable Development", n.d.). Efforts have been made in Indonesia to decrease the amount of waste by 70% by 2025. The government has advised the people living in Indonesia to make waste management plans and strategies. Indonesia will also receive help from construction engineering companies, West Java’s Swedish waste management technology and will also cooperate with Norway and Denmark ("Where to Invest: Waste Management Sector in Indonesia", n.d.). Another way of living sustainably is by saving energy. Indonesia has made a commitment to reduce emissions to 29% with national efforts and 41% with international efforts. In order to fulfill the commitment, Indonesia will improve the usage of new and renewable energy from 17% to 23% in 2025. Indonesia will also aim to improve land use management by extending the moratorium on new forestry concessions from 2015 to 2017. By 2020, 5 acres of peat land will be restored ("Indonesia’s Commitment to Sustainable Development", n.d.). PERSONAL RESPONSE In my opinion, we should start living sustainably for the sake of the upcoming future generations. By living sustainably, we are giving the future generations a good environment for them to live and enjoy their lives as we enjoy our lives. And if we don’t achieve sustainable living, there will probably be no good environment for them to live and they, the future generations, might not be able to have and enjoy a normal life. REFERENCES: 1. 5 Types of Waste; Do You Know Them? - DTM Skips Blog. (2019). Retrieved 7 May 2021, from https://www.dtmskips.co.uk/blog/types-of-waste/ Daniel Philip 1085 2. Bartkowski, B. (2014). Who Is Responsible for Achieving Sustainability?. Retrieved 7 May 2021, from https://zielonygrzyb.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/who-is-responsiblefor-achieving-sustainability/ 3. Cheriyadath, S. (2013). What is Pyrolysis?. Retrieved 10 May 2021, from https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=336 4. Gill, C. (2019). Why living a sustainable life is good for you and the planet. Retrieved 7 May 2021, from https://www.boody.com.au/blogs/eco/why-living-a-sustainable-lifeis-good-for-you-and-the-planet# 5. Groot, K. (2014). Whose responsibility is sustainability? | West Monroe. Retrieved 7 May 2021, from https://www.westmonroe.com/perspectives/in-brief/whose- responsibility-is-sustainability 6. Indonesia Adopts Its First-Ever Sustainable Development Plan. (2020). Retrieved 8 May 2021, from https://www.wri.org/outcomes/indonesia-adopts-its-first-ever- sustainable-development-plan 7. Indonesia’s Commitment to Sustainable Development. Retrieved 8 May 2021, from https://indonesia4unsc.kemlu.go.id/index.php/our-priorities/indonesia-s-commitmentto-sustainable-development 8. Kukreja, R. What is Sustainable Living and 25+ Ultimate Ideas For Sustainable Living - Conserve Energy Future. Retrieved 7 May 2021, from https://www.conserve-energyfuture.com/15-ideas-for-sustainable-living.php 9. McCulloch, N. (2019). What Can I Recycle: A Guide to What Makes Something Recyclable. Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.rubicon.com/blog/what-can-berecycled/ 10. Organic Waste | Hazardous Waste Experts. (2014). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.hazardouswasteexperts.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-organicwaste/ 11. What is Pyrolysis? : USDA ARS. (2017). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/wyndmoor-pa/eastern-regional-research- Daniel Philip 1085 center/docs/biomass-pyrolysis-research-1/what-is-pyrolysis/ 12. Where to Invest: Waste Management Sector in Indonesia. Retrieved 8 May 2021, from https://www.cekindo.com/sectors/waste-management
