Re-Culture: The Contemporary Approach for Sustainable Living 978-93-5346-498-1

Citation preview

Scenario of Environmental Research and Development ISBN: 978-93-5346-498-1

Page No. 169-174

Peer-Reviewed Edited Volume

Publication Date: 31/12/2018

Re-Culture: The Contemporary Approach for Sustainable living Junaid K. C. Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Pondicherry. Corresponding Author E-Mail Id: [email protected] Abstract: Environment and Culture are conjoined each. Sustainability of earth and its resources are the biggest challenge still now. Humans untenable interaction with earth are leading to fatal problems. From last decades we have been developing ephemeral solutions to diminish these problems caused by human interaction with earth. 3R of sustainable idea had bring some positive changes. This paper acquainting and demonstrates the significance of RE-CULTURE concept along with concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The culture have power on the overall behavior, decision and activities of a person that reflect as a family/community/country. We examine core relation of culture in sustainable Eco friendly practices in a person and relationship with economic decisions of the community. We found that there are significant relation between culture and sustainable practices of human. The behavior of sustainable living is modulated by culture that practiced in a family/community/country. Thus the concept of Re-culture is to add the sustainable living ideas in daily life as part of culture and also bring eco-friendly traditional practices that had forgotten. It suggests techniques to adapt sustainable living models to everyone's culture. This as the contemporary solution to promote the sustainable living for a better tomorrow. Key Words: Culture, Sustainable life, Ecological Anthropology, Reculture, Community, Sustainability, Sustainable education.

I. INTRODUCTION: The aim of this paper is to expound on the conception of culture as the better technique to enhance the sustainable living concept. Culture is explained as the way of life, of a group of people. It is ideas, social behaviour, beliefs and customs of a particular people or society. As culture is integrated deeply with human lifestyle it's hard to change, implement, or follow up the sustainable living in a human whose culture is not part of sustainable living methods. Sustainable living is describes one's way of life that tries to reduce individuals and society’s use of Earth’s natural resources (Ainoa, Kaskela, Lahti, Saarikoski, Sivunen, Storgårds & Zhang, 2009). Ecological living is the concepts that followed by sustainable lifestyle. Sustainable living includes humans environmentally friendly acts in Shelter building, Food consumption, Transportation techniques, Water resource conservation and Waste management. Culture is made by the influence of different aspects like Environment, Religion, Country, Organisational, Institutional, enculturalisation etc. The key premise of this paper is that cultural aspect of life and its influence to sustainable practices of life. Each culture have different views regarding sustainable lifestyle like energy saving practices, Organic farming techniques, Waste less cultural habits etc. Still major people in the earth are following any kind of sustainable practices to ensure green future. There are options to reduce the consumption of resources. Many things can be Reused as per different methods. Also it is possible to recycle variety of wastes. Humans have kind of priority and need theory of things. The activities are designed according to these needs and priorities. Till one's culture makes a sustainable way of life as important to their culture no techniques can adapted for a long term.

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Scenario of Environmental Research and Development ISBN: 978-93-5346-498-1 Peer-Reviewed Edited Volume

Page No. 169-174 Publication Date: 31/12/2018

The paper accordingly examines both the ‘Re-Culture’ in terms of how it can impacts on development of sustainable lifestyle and what are the techniques that can implement to adapt the Re-culture concept for sustainable living. A participant observation is better way of understanding the cultural aspects of different people regarding the resource consumption and management of wastes. In Depth interviewing people regarding their traditional activities to protect environment and promote sustainable lifestyle is analysed during the study. Open ended questionnaire results had contributed to understand the people's views and ideas around the concept of Re-Culture. Also the contemporary case analysis of Auroville Community is examining the sustainable practices that they have developed from the foundation of the auroville township towards the better future dream and how they have made this as part of their culture. All these different study and analysing it has contributed the strong foundation to develop the concept of Re-Culture. And how it can be converted to techniques of implementing the sustainable ideas in culture to develop sustainable lifestyle.

II. METHODOLOGY To complete recommendations regarding the concept of Re-culture for solution of sustainable living major methods used are Participant observation in different culture areas, Case research on Auroville community,India and Survey research with open ended questionnaires and interviews. To develop a theoretical basics of culture and environment , consulted with academics in Ecology and Ecological anthropology field reviewed and analyzed relevant literature, and discussed ideas. Participant observation method is conducted in local people settlements in Pondicherry Kalapet area and Malabar area of Kerala. Detailed case study is conducted on Auroville township, Tamil Nadu, India. Auroville is the sustainable community. An open ended questionnaire is used for collecting first hand information from residence of Auroville, and different locations around the world using social networking medias. Auroville consist of people from 49 countries and different states of India. In-depth Interviews are also conducted for discussing the idea of 3Rs and Sustainable education with School staffs and students.

III. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Concept of Re-Culture: The concept of Re-Culture is interrelated with implementation of sustainable living techniques even before one person thinks about his action. The action of person is linked with his culture. That culture makes the person to do things that Online available at www.ijmir.com

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Scenario of Environmental Research and Development ISBN: 978-93-5346-498-1

Page No. 169-174

Peer-Reviewed Edited Volume

Publication Date: 31/12/2018

is accepted by the culture of Individual himself, Family, Community, Organisation, Institution, Country etc. If the Activity / Action is deeply related to cultural aspects like Norms, Beliefs, Rituals, and Act/Rules are followed by the person as part of life. That determines every individual can practice sustainable living as once the ideology of sustainability become part of culture. We can develop sustainable lifestyle by implementing techniques that adds sustainable values to culture itself

before the action is decided.

The figure No.1 showing implementation of 3Rs of sustainable lifestyle after person’s actions and activities are impacted by the culture. The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle concept will ensure actions to support sustainability. But there is a less chance of people to implement the 3Rs in lifestyle. They have to think and decide to do 3Rs before action. The decisions are not automatically generated by the influence of culture.

Hence, figure No.2 explains the concept of Re-Culture. That need of adding more sustainable values to the culture itself. It happened before the person takes decisions. By this method the person is made to be support of 3Rs in sustainability as living in their own culture. Less need of extra decision making process. Re-Culture is a process where Sustainable practices are directly added to the culture gradually using different techniques. The studies show how culture influenced people to make support / practice sustainable living. Also the people whose family or society is practicing sustainable activities are likely to live in sustainable life very earlier and no need of any guidance. The are many traditions concepts like Sacred Forest, Tiger as Grandfather, Mother Earth, Rain God etc. these all are part of the culture that had been created to develop an eco friendly lifestyle in different traditional societies. So far during the civilization process we had lost many traditions that was practicing to protect nature from fatal activities of humans. The need of developing similar kind of concept is important for this generation. Re-Culture can bring activities or practices that make sustainability as part of the culture.

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Scenario of Environmental Research and Development ISBN: 978-93-5346-498-1

Page No. 169-174

Peer-Reviewed Edited Volume

Publication Date: 31/12/2018

3.2 Case of Auroville community: Auroville is also known as City of Dawn. is the township including 2,486 peoples from different countries includes 1048 indians. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (the Mother). The site is approximately about 20 km square of barren land when it founded. Auroville is following sustainable mode living from its beginning. The Auroville community developed different method of sustainable life. The economy of Auroville is concerned with common contribution that makes more sustainable economy. It was a barren land of kilometers are that slowly had converted to Forest. There are different forest projects that are ongoing process to convert the barren land to forests. Aranya Forest, Sadhana Forest, Pitchandikulam Forest are the major afforestation activities. Eco villages, Craft units, Rain harvesting projects, Green farming techniques, Energy from Renewable sources, nature friendly building designs, Waste and Pollution management systems are practiced by Aurovillians. This are developed as a culture of the Auroville community. Every people who lives in Auroville is part of sustainable activity because it is practiced as part of their culture. Here the education on environment is promoted more in kids itself also the parents, family, and society is practising the sustainable living. According to the interviews with local residents in Auroville, sustainable living is part of their daily routine as it become their culture. That made them to make less waste, cook with biogas, eat organic and use renewable energy. Each person in Auroville is practiced sustainable way of living from the first day. In Auroville the culture of sustainability is first developed as the part of spiritual concept towards the earth. Spiritual aspects are made the common culture of Auroville. Now Auroville is promoting different aspects of Sustainable developmental activities like ‘Wasteless’ campaign towards environmental education for kids, ‘EV Future’ electric powered Vehicle with more energy saving techniques, ‘Well Paper’ concept that promotes crafts and jewellery made out of recycled paper. ‘AUREKA’ is a metal workshop that placed on the manufacture of equipment supportive of sustainability, Auroville Earth institute, Auroville Energy Products (AEP) that develops renewable technologies are the some sustainable products that developed from auroville and spread to whole world. This culture of sustainable living is created on wide cultured peoples from different location of world lives together in Auroville. This supports the concept of Re-Culture as solution for promoting sustainable living. The Cultural practices of a community influences one person's decision towards sustainable lifestyle, thus we can implement sustainable living ideas on culture itself to promote the SD effectively. Childhood learned / acquired behavior of a person is more likely to follow on adulthood also, same in practicing green life also. If the culture is not demanding people to do one action, then it's hard to make that action to part of culture / routine of the community, this had describes efficient method of sustainable living have to be find from cultural traditions and recreate with few better changes. Culture is the best tool to ensure development of sustainable lifestyle practices as culture had rooted to people from generation to generation. People lives in different family within same location had shown opposite approach towards sustainable living, this gap is existed because culture is not only based on locations but also family, community, religion influences. Childhood environmental education had created more deeper positive result in sustainable practices according to the finding from Kerala. People who once practicing Eco-friendly life are following the same to wherever they have moved / migrated, the Europeans settled in Auroville had followed their home country's sustainable practices in India also. A person is more linked to the culture than regional laws, as people are implementing the rules of own culture or community more effectively than official rules. Culture makes a person to act easily in situation that culture permits, when one activity is more accepted in own culture the people don't worry Online available at www.ijmir.com

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Scenario of Environmental Research and Development ISBN: 978-93-5346-498-1 Peer-Reviewed Edited Volume

Page No. 169-174 Publication Date: 31/12/2018

about the acceptance of same in other culture until they move to other cultural area. according to study different techniques have to be used for various culture to adapt sustainability as it is more efficient and effective than existing systems.

IV. CONCLUSIONS The paper argues that applying sustainable practices to the culture itself creates more effect on better sustainable living. On basis of this concept ‘Re-Culture’ is developed. Re-Culture is a process where sustainable practices are directly added to the culture gradually using different techniques. The basis for the culture and sustainable living relation is reflected by different aspects of the culture. The study results shows that, adding more sustainable activities to the culture is effective method to promote sustainability and better future. Study conclude that the concept of ReCulture as a cultural integrated method towards promoting sustainable living. Various activities are promoted to adapt the sustainable living methods to culture itself. Like Environment Educational activities for kids, Redeveloping Traditional sustainable practices, developing more Creative and Attractive techniques to adapt sustainability as lifestyle, bringing sustainable living as Ideal Culture, Collaborating with various Religious and regional/communal Institutions to develop sustainability as part of spirituality or as proper way of life. There is a scope of wide ranged study of cultural reasons for sustainable living in different regions of the world. That will further develop the idea of Reculture.

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10. Sauvé, Lucie. (1996): "Environmental education and sustainable development: A further appraisal." Canadian Journal of Environmental Education 1, 7-34. 11. Adomßent, Maik. (2014). "Emerging areas in research on higher education for sustainable development– management education, sustainable consumption and perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe." Journal of Cleaner Production 62, 1-7. 12. Turner, N. J. (2008). The earth's blanket: traditional teachings for sustainable living. D & M Publishers. 13. Haenn, N., & Wilk, R. (Eds.). (2006). The environment in anthropology: A reader in ecology, culture, and sustainable living. NYU Press. 14. Ergas, C. (2010). A model of sustainable living: Collective identity in an urban ecovillage. Organization & Environment, 23(1), 32-54. 15. Holmgren, D. (2002). Permaculture: principles & pathways beyond sustainability. 16. Reynolds, P. C. (1993). Food and tourism: towards an understanding of sustainable culture. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1(1), 48-54. 17. Fien, J. (1993). Education for sustainable living: An international perspective on environmental education. Southern African journal of environmental education, 13, 7-2.

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