Commitment 2: Family

The family is the most important social structure we are born into and has great benefits for all of us. In the developed world in recent times, there has regretably been a breakdown of the extended family into the nuclear family, but in the developing world extended family values still survive. Historically man has developed in an extended family relationship that extends over the following five generations:

Grandparent - parent - person - child - grandchild.

In each of these five generations there are brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins etc. The family provides a vital economic and social structure that traditionally forms the basis of all civilisations. The following points illustrate the primary benefits of a commitment to an extended family related to a zero footprint lifestyle.

2.1 The family provides the basic social framework and security for our development in life. It also unites us together in birth, marriage, celebration and death.

2.2 The family can easily encourage biodiversity in the home and garden by the careful selection of appropriate plants, shrubs and trees.

2.3 The family can prevent pollution of the air, water and land at home, school and in the workplace.

2.4 The family provides the means to recycle clothes/toys/furniture and all waste.

2.5 The family should use low energy-lights, cooker, heating, television, fridge, freezer, washer, etc.

2.6 The family should endeavour to grow organic food and eat mainly organic/local food products.

2.7 The family must reduce annually its non-essential energy needs and fund only renewable green energy.

2.8 The family must share and minimise private transport.

2.9 The family should adopt ethical funding i.e. ethical shopping/mortgage/banking/investment.

2.10 The family should encourage skills in sport/crafts/music/art/cooking etc.

2

Our Galaxy, the Milky Way, is thought to be 11 billion years old
and consists of about 11 billion stars.