Proceedings of the Smart Sustainable Development Conference 2025 (SSD 2025)

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Everyday Choices, Global Impact: The Power of Individual Sustainability Actions

Authors
K. Ganeshan1, *, Shun Ci Zhang2
1Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus, Auckland, New Zealand
2Retired Engineer, Auckland, New Zealand
*Corresponding author. Email: kathiravelu.ganeshan@op.ac.nz
Corresponding Author
K. Ganeshan
Available Online 30 June 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-720-5_16How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Sustainability; personal responsibility; consumer behaviour; environmental impact; climate action; SDGs
Abstract

The climate crisis requires urgent and systemic interventions, yet individual actions remain a powerful force for change. This paper explores how small, intentional choices can collectively drive significant environmental transformation. Through real-life examples, it examines the contradictions of modern consumption and the impact of sustainable practices such as minimizing food waste, adopting eco-friendly commuting, transitioning to energy-efficient appliances, and engaging in local sustainability initiatives like urban gardening and renewable energy cooperatives. Additionally, it highlights the broader societal influence of individual actions, emphasizing their role in shaping corporate policies and legislative priorities. Despite challenges such as misinformation, perceived insignificance, and financial constraints, strategies like public education, policy incentives, and digital advocacy can empower individuals to adopt sustainable living. By aligning these efforts with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this paper argues that collective personal choices can drive meaningful environmental and social progress.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the Smart Sustainable Development Conference 2025 (SSD 2025)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Sustainable Development
Publication Date
30 June 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-720-5
ISSN
3005-155X
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-720-5_16How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - K. Ganeshan
AU  - Shun Ci Zhang
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/06/30
TI  - Everyday Choices, Global Impact: The Power of Individual Sustainability Actions
BT  - Proceedings of the Smart Sustainable Development Conference 2025 (SSD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 183
EP  - 190
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-720-5_16
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-720-5_16
ID  - Ganeshan2025
ER  -