The document discusses different materials, services, and equipment and the natural resources used in their production as well as the level of control individuals have over wasted resources. It provides examples of lights, paper usage, printers, cars, food, and clothes and the corresponding natural resources like coal, trees, wood, water, oil, soil, animals, and cotton. Suggestions are given for reducing waste and increasing sustainability for each example through actions like turning off lights, printing less, using vegetable-based inks, choosing more sustainable transportation, buying local organic food, and opting for environmentally-friendly textiles.

1. Measuring resource usage
Material/service/equi What natural resource is How much control do you have
pment used in its production? over wasted resources?
Example 1: Lights Coal or water to produce I can control the light used in my
electricity own office by tuning off the light
switch. I can assist by
monitoring the use of lights in
the general work area and lunch
room.
Example 2: Paper Trees, electricity I can be more aware when
usage printing documents on a day-to-
day basis.
Printer Wood, water, energy and By using vegetable based inks
hazardous materials. like soy or flax ink.
Car Gold, silver, water, wood, Buy an electric vehicle, or travel
bauxite, coal, copper, sand, by bike, unicycle, skateboard,
rubber, chromium, iron ore scooter, foot or the company
and oil. could invest in biodiesel shuttle
buses for their workers.
Food Air, sunlight, soil, water, Buy sustainably produced, local,
animals, birds, fish and seasonal, organic and gourmet
plants. products.
Recycle waste.
clothes cotton Buy environmentally-friendly
textiles like Hemp, wool, organic
cotton, soy silk, bamboo or from
corn fibre.