How daily life affects the environment
Everything we use comes from nature, and everything we throw away goes back to it.
- Energy: electricity from coal or gas adds carbon dioxide to the air.
- Water: pumping, cleaning and heating water uses energy, and waste water pollutes rivers.
- Travel: petrol and diesel vehicles make gases and noise.
- Food: farming, transport and wasted food all have a cost to nature.
- Things: clothes, gadgets and packaging need materials, power and water to make.
- Waste: rubbish in landfills makes methane gas; plastic stays for hundreds of years.
All of this together is our footprint: how much of Earth's resources we use.
Sustainable living and sustainable consumption
Sustainable means we meet today's needs without harming the chance of future people to meet theirs.
Sustainable consumption means buying and using in a way that causes less harm.
- Need or want: ask before buying, 'Do I need this? Will I use it for long?'
- Quality over quantity: a strong shoe that lasts three years is better than three cheap shoes.
- Check the label: choose local, seasonal, fairly made and low-packaging goods.
- Share and borrow: libraries, toy swaps and shared rides cut waste.
The 5 Rs
- Refuse what you do not need, such as a free plastic bag.
- Reduce how much you buy and use.
- Reuse things again: jars, bags, old clothes.
- Repair broken things instead of replacing them.
- Recycle what is left, and compost food waste.
The order matters. The first steps stop waste before it begins. Recycling uses energy too, so it is the last step.
Easy habits at home and school
- Switch off lights and fans; use LED bulbs and star-rated appliances.
- Fix dripping taps; reuse water from washing vegetables for plants.
- Walk, cycle, use buses or share rides for short trips.
- Cook only what will be eaten; compost peels.
- Carry your own bottle and bag; separate wet and dry waste.
- Choose second-hand, share books and repair clothes.
Small choices, repeated by many people, add up to a big change.
Key formulas and definitions
- Footprint (illustrative) = electricity + water + travel + food + things + waste
- Energy (kWh) = power (kW) × time (h)
- Saving = old use − new use
- Cost = energy (kWh) × price per kWh
- Key term: sustainable = meeting today's needs without harming future needs
- Key term: 5 Rs = Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle
Worked examples
1. In the 3D tower, travel changes from 25 to 10 points when a student walks or cycles. How many points are saved?
25 − 10 = 15 points saved.
2. A house replaces 3 bulbs of 60 W with 3 LED bulbs of 9 W. Each is on for 5 hours a day. How much energy is saved per day?
Saving per bulb = 60 − 9 = 51 W. For 3 bulbs = 153 W. 153 W × 5 h = 765 Wh = 0.765 kWh per day.
3. With electricity at ₹8 per unit (kWh), what does the saving in the last example come to in 30 days?
0.765 × 30 = 22.95 kWh. 22.95 × 8 = ₹183.6 (about ₹184).
Common mistakes
- Thinking recycling is the first answer. Refusing and reducing save more.
- Thinking sustainable means giving up everything. It means using smartly and wasting less.
- Buying 'green' products you do not need. Not buying is the greenest choice.
- Ignoring food waste. Wasted food also wastes the water and energy used to grow it.