Sustainable Living

One way of tackling the environmental crisis is sustainable living. Sustainable living is both a philosophy and practice. It is a way of meeting the needs of the human race while conserving the limited environmental resources available. The ultimate goal is to strike a balance between man and nature.

Vox pops revealed mixed attitudes.

Alana, a 24 year old student: "I started making the switch two or three years ago. It's a big problem but everyone can do their bit to help. Most of the stuff I buy now doesn't even come in plastic. I eat organic vegies and food and I don't use plastic shopping bags. If you're smart about the way you shop you can even buy biodegradable ones [bags]. I saw An Inconvenient Truth and that's really opened my eyes to what's going on."

Martin, a 30 year old cleaner: "I've got a small vegetable garden and a rainwater tank. It's not much but it's a start. I don't litter, I recycle, what else can you really do? The companies are killing it for us all anyway."

Simon, a 20 year old bartender, showed little concern for the environment: "Am I worried? Not really, no. It's a pretty big world. I mean it's getting f***ed up, that's obvious, but think of all the crap that happened to it before we even started. She'll be right for another million or two."

Kara, a 26 year old student: "I just got a bike! It's a blue retro one and I rode it to the shops for the first time yesterday. How's that for fighting the good fight?"

Dio Pittet of the Alliance Francaise has organised a forum titled "Towards a sustainable city". It is a free event and is open to everyone. It takes place on Wednesday 27th September at 6pm and will feature guest speakers including Senator Kerry Nettle, Greens Senator for NSW.

The address is:
Alliance Francaise de Sydney
257 Clarence Street
Sydney