Three Sustainable Choices: IB ESS Examples and Evaluation

14 Dec Three Sustainable Choices: IB ESS Examples and Evaluation

Everyday choices offer useful examples for IB ESS because they connect environmental processes with decisions made by people. To evaluate a choice, explain how it could reduce an impact, identify a limitation and consider who can realistically make it. Here are three examples students can use to practise that reasoning.

1. Choose products using evidence about their impacts

“Chemical-free” is not a meaningful description of a product: water and the substances in plants are chemicals too. A natural origin does not by itself establish safety. A better question is which ingredients, quantities and uses create a particular environmental risk.

For cleaning products, compare reliable information about ingredients, correct dosing, packaging and disposal. The US EPA’s guidance on greener cleaning products explains why broad claims such as “green” need careful interpretation. The EPA Safer Choice programme evaluates products against defined criteria.

ESS connection: reducing releases of a harmful substance can reduce exposure in an ecosystem. In an answer, identify the substance and the pathway into the environment. “All natural products are better” is too broad to support a useful evaluation.

2. Consider alternatives to an individual car journey

For a suitable short journey, walking or cycling avoids fuel combustion from that car trip. Public transport or sharing a journey can also be worth considering. The outcome depends on factors such as distance, occupancy, the vehicle and the energy used.

ESS connection: compare emissions per passenger for the journey being considered, using appropriate evidence. Do not assume that one form of transport has the same impact in every situation.

Limitation: safe routes, mobility needs, time and local services affect the options available. Evaluating transport therefore involves infrastructure and accessibility as well as individual preferences.

3. Reduce unnecessary electricity demand

Switching off lighting that is not needed and choosing efficient equipment can reduce electricity demand. The US Department of Energy explains how LED lighting works. Compare lamps providing an appropriate amount of light, rather than comparing wattages without considering their output.

ESS connection: the effect on emissions depends partly on how the electricity is generated. A reduction in electricity use is not automatically the same percentage reduction in a household’s total carbon footprint.

Limitation: replacement costs, access to efficient equipment and changes in behaviour affect the result. Using an efficient device for longer can reduce the expected saving.

Turn an everyday example into an ESS argument

Use this sequence when planning a practice response:

1. Identify the action: describe precisely what changes.
2. Explain the mechanism: connect the action to resource use, emissions or exposure.
3. Use evidence: select data relevant to the place and situation.
4. Evaluate a limitation: explain a cost, trade-off or barrier.
5. Reach a judgment: state when the action is likely to be useful and what else may be needed.

For example, cycling infrastructure may help make lower-emission journeys possible, but its usefulness depends on safety, route connections and who can use it. This gives a stronger discussion than simply telling everyone to cycle.

Practise sustainability with support

For related reading, explore sustainability and the factors affecting decisions. If you need help developing explanations or evaluating evidence, learn about online IB ESS tutoring for SL and HL with Marija Maletz, or request a free 20-minute trial lesson.