sustainability essay hook

10 Example-Hooks for the Introduction to Climate Change College Essay

An essay is only as strong as its hook. If you can’t grab your reader’s attention right within the first few sentences, you won’t have it throughout the rest of the essay, either. Don’t bore your reader! Instead, use a captivating hook to ensnare them from the first few words.

A hook can be something that is intriguing, hilarious, or even shocking. The goal of a hook is to create a powerful emotional connection with the reader. As the writer, you have a few options. You might consider beginning with a series of questions, a challenging statement, a little-known fact, a quotation, or some fascinating background information. For an essay containing an introduction to climate change, consider a few of the following hooks.

Start with a Quote

Find out a famous person who has touched the discussed issue. Make your audience mull over his/her words as well as provide their own thoughts.

• Start with a quote : “Climate change is happening, humans are causing it, and I think this is perhaps the most serious environmental issue facing us.”-Bill Nye
• Start with a quote : “Humanity faces many threats, but none is greater than climate change. In damaging our climate, we are becoming the architects of our own destruction. We have the knowledge, the tools, and the money (to solve the crisis).”-Prince Charles, U.K.
• Start with a quote : “Global warming isn’t a prediction. It is happening.”- James Hansen

Start with a Fact

Provide some interesting information about the particular issue you disclose. This will make your listeners and readers involved in the problem. Make sure the fact is on point and fresh that no one knows about.

• Start with a fact : “The planet’s average surface temperature has risen by two degrees Fahrenheit since the 1900s. This change is unrivaled by any others in recorded–or estimated–history.”
• Start with a fact : “2016 was the warmest year on record, with eight months setting record temperature highs around the globe.”

Start with a Question

Make your audience discuss the issue. This will help you not only make them interested in the problem but also present their own thoughts that might be also quite catchy to discuss.

• Start with a question : “What have you done lately to help prevent global warming?”
• Start with a question : “Think about how the weather has changed since you were a child. Has the weather gradually turned warmer? Colder? Perhaps you notice more snowfall or hotter summer temperatures. These are all caused directly by climate change and global warming.”
• Start with a question : “How does climate change affect you personally?”

Shock Your Audience

Tell something that will shock your audience. It will make them interested. But again, this has to be a real shock, not something that everyone is talking about for the last three years.

• Start with a shock : “Global sea levels have risen eight inches over the last century. In the last two decades alone, the rate of rise has nearly doubled. This is a direct cause of melting ice caps and increased global temperatures. If this rise continues, entire countries, such as Bangladesh, could be underwater.”
• Start with a shock : “If everyone in the world lives as Americans do, it would take five Earths to produce enough resources. Just five countries, including the United States, contribute to more than 50 percent of the world’s harmful CO2 emissions.”

What do all of these hooks have in common? They tell you just enough information to get you interested but want to learn more at the same time. It is often difficult to write a stellar hook until you have already–or nearly–finished writing your essay. After all, you often don’t know the direction your paper is going to take until it is completed. Many strong writers wait to write the hook last, as this helps guide the direction of the introduction. Consider drafting a few sample hooks and then choose the best. The best essay will be the one that involves revision and updating–keep trying new hooks until you find the perfect, most intriguing, hook of them all.

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Teaching sustainability.

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What is Sustainability?

Tips for teaching sustainability.

• Interdisciplinarity

Place-Based and Project-Based Learning

Teaching with ecological footprints, vanderbilt and local resources.

What is sustainability?  What do we want to sustain?  An important part of teaching sustainability issues involves keeping these questions always open and alive.  Sustainability offers a novel framework for asking enduring philosophical questions: What is the good life?  How do we create a better world?  Thinking and teaching about sustainability are future-oriented projects, but the relevance of sustainability principles and practices must be articulated in the present.

The term “sustainability” has an important history in development literature.  In 1983, the United Nations convened the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), known informally by the name of its chair, Gro Harlem Brundtland.  The Brundtland Comission’s report, Our Common Future (1987), contains one of the most often cited definitions of sustainability:

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:

• the concept of ‘needs’, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and

• the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.”

The scope of sustainability is frequently described as including three spheres – social, environmental, and economic.  To use an accounting metaphor, sustainability projects must be evaluated according to a “triple bottom line” of social, environmental, and economic responsibility.  A Venn diagram depicts the interdisciplinarity of sustainability as a field of inquiry:

Sustainability is at once an integrative discipline and a multidisciplinary project; it has statistical, scientific, and humanistic dimensions.  With its focus on specific problems and particular solutions, sustainability suggests place-based and project-based approaches to student learning.  Teaching towards sustainability also reminds us that pedagogy is a civic project; there are important ties between classroom and community.

Beth Conklin , Vanderbilt University Professor of Anthropology, offers various suggestions for using ecological footprint calculators well and for teaching about sustainability issues generally:

• Beware of Student Overload .  The rhetoric of urgent and global environmental crises can overwhelm students when they consider the immensity of the problems humanity face and the difficulties involved in coping with them.   These feelings of cognitive or emotional overload can cause students to feel disengaged, disempowered, and even resentful, which can disrupt the learning process.
• Avoid Doom and Gloom .  While teaching students about the many challenges to environmental sustainability will necessarily introduce some risk of overload, teachers can limit this by being sure to discuss environmental success stories.  For example, this may include discussion of environmental policies or movements that have succeeded in mitigating pollution, conserving resources, or promoting ecological resiliency.  Whatever the success, incorporating them into courses can help students envision a future that is shaped by their agency, and avoid any descent into cynical resignation or fearful reaction.
• Focus on Quality of Life Issues .  Students facing the emotional overload of environmental problems can easily feel that their entire lifestyle is threatened by resource limits and the environmentalists who champion living simply.  Educators can sometimes add to this sense of threat by taking a moralizing, prescriptive, and unyielding approach to more sustainable lifestyles.  An alternative approach is to engage students by discussing their definitions of happiness and a quality of life, and whether they are correlated with high levels of consumption and resource use.  If students reflect prior research findings ( Consumerism and its Discontents , To Do or to Have? That Is the Question ), they will often argue that the two are not highly correlated, providing a basis for a positive discussion of alternative lifestyles and social changes associated with them.
• Peer Engagement and Support .  Engaging students in group discussions and projects in which they have the opportunity to dialogue and support one another can help to alleviate these feelings of overload.  It also can allow for the moments of problem-solving, debate, analysis, teamwork, and reflection that are so crucial to developing the critical thinking and leadership skills students need to face complex problems.
• Student Analysis of Data .  Students may learn more about a given environmental problem by wrestling with empirical data for themselves, rather than receiving pre-digested analyses from lectures or secondary sources.  In doing so, they will not only grapple with methodological and theoretical issues of data analysis and presentation, but they will be empowered to examine environmental issues with greater nuance and insight.
• Deconstruct Eco-rhetoric .  Spend time investigating the historical origins and often conflicting uses of environmental terminology such as “sustainability,” “environmentalism,” “stewardship,” “nature” itself, and other language.  This will provide valuable teaching moments about the historical development of environmental studies, and it will empower students to examine environmental problems and solutions more critically.
• Precautionary Principle .  Succinctly defined, the precautionary principle states that, if an action risks causing harm to the public or the environment, and there is no scientific consensus that it is indeed harmful, the burden of proof that it is NOT harmful falls on those taking the action.  An often debated principle, it provides a useful starting point for class discussions of how to make decisions under conditions of uncertainty.  It also offers an opportunity to discuss policy options regarding resource use and the tradeoffs between potential environmental harm on the one hand, and economic or political costs on the other.
• Embrace Interdisciplinarity .  A critical and thorough understanding of issues related to environmental sustainability necessarily involves contributions from a wide variety of disciplines throughout the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.   This may be daunting for students and educators alike since it often requires us to think outside of our intellectual expertise.  Doing interdisciplinarity well can be a challenge, but it becomes easier with a more effective use of resources on one’s campus community and beyond, such as team teaching with a colleague from a different discipline, organizing guest lecturers from across campus, or bringing in guest speakers from the local community.  Mostly, however, it requires a courage to step out of one’s comfort zone and explore topics that will enrich the learning experience for our students and that will stimulate us to think in new ways as educators.

Interdisciplinary

Teaching sustainability is both exciting and challenging because of the interdisciplinary nature of the problems at stake.  When teaching these issues, instructors are often working outside their own areas of expertise.  How do you bring new content knowledge into the classroom without overburdening yourself?  Ways to build interdisciplinary classrooms include:

Guest Speakers:

• Guest speakers extend the boundaries of the classroom, helping students to see the course as a part of a larger network of ideas and conversations.
• The expert’s visit presents an external motivation for students to engage with readings and assignments.
• Careful planning can help to ensure that guest contributions will enhance student learning.
• Let guests know ahead of time the topic of the course and how their visits fit with the themes of the class.
• Assign students to submit questions in the expert’s area of interest.
• Avoid presentations; invite the expert to class to participate in an interview instead.
• Consider inviting guests with opposing views.

Cooperative Learning:

• Take advantage of students’ diverse disciplinary and experiential knowledge.
• See also the new book, Cooperative Learning in Higher Education: Across the Disciplines (2010), edited by Barbara Millis and published by the National Teaching and Learning Forum.

Teaching towards sustainability lends itself to place-based and project-based approaches to pedagogy.  Although sustainability is a global goal, its problems and solutions are always importantly situated in local ecologies and communities.  Instructors might consider taking a “bioregional” approach to teaching about place, encouraging students to think about their local watershed as a meaningful way to conceptualize community.  In addition, focusing on sustainability solutions requires the cultivation of an imaginative experimentalism – the difficulties involved in transitioning to a more sustainable world can only be worked out in the process of formulating practical alternatives to the problems at hand.

Field Trips

Field trips bring people together in ways that go beyond traditional classroom experiences.  Planning the logistical details of a field trip take time and foresight, but the rewards of a well-planned field experience can make it worth the effort.

• Be sensitive to time and place; it is impossible to plan for every contingency, but keep in mind the variability of seasonal weather.
• Don’t plan every minute of the trip.  Create time for observation and “poking around.”
• Create solo time – consider having students bring a journal; offer the option of a reflective writing assignment.

Campus as Sustainability Classroom

Encourage students to think of the campus as a sustainability laboratory.  Assign projects that allow students to create solutions to sustainability issues they identify in their own dormitories and dining halls. Get in touch with your campus sustainability coordinator to brainstorm projects and to help connect students with existing campus resources and organizations.

Classroom and Community

There is an important relationship between the university and the larger community of which it is a part.  Teaching about sustainability is, in large part, a civic education.  Instructors can encourage students to see not only their campus, but also the city and countryside in which it is located, as a sustainability classroom.  Assign projects that help students to map and engage with sustainability issues and initiatives in the community.  Consider assigning students to attend a city council meeting and write a response.

The CFT has a teaching guide on service learning for instructors considering incorporating action research and community engagement into their courses.

Using ecological footprints calculators is one valuable starting point for educators wishing to engage students in important dialogues about wide ranging issues of environmental sustainability and resiliency.  Ecological footprints are calculations of natural resource use that assess environmental impacts.  Typically they measure levels of resource consumption relative to resource availability, and they may be scaled to address the consumption of individuals, campus communities, cities, or entire nations.

There are two general types of calculators, “Ecological Footprint” calculators that attend to resource use across many resource categories, and those that are more specific to individual resources, most notably “Carbon Calculators.”  Ecological footprint calculators are more complex since they address a broader diversity of natural resources and their uses, and they typically measure resource use against the total amount of resources available, thus accounting for some approximation of the natural limits to consumption.  Carbon Calculators are measures of carbon resource consumption and are particularly useful as they pertain to one of the most significant environmental threats and policy issues of our time, namely climate change.  They arguably are also good proxies for resource use generally since fossil fuel use is deeply embedded in all forms of consumption.  Usually carbon calculations do not involve a measure of the total natural stock of carbon-based fuels or other resources, although their results may be analyzed in the context of levels of atmospheric pollution thought necessary to curb such problems as climate change.

Footprint Calculators

There are many varieties of ecological footprint calculators.

• Among the most reliable are those associated with the Global Footprint Network , the largest and most respected assemblage of expertise on ecological accounting.  Collectively, the GFN has developed the largest and most complex datasets, and have set the standards by which roughly ninety percent of ecological footprints are calculated.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Household Emissions Calculator
• The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero calculator
• Bonneville Environmental Foundation
• Chuck Wright’s Carbon Calculator
• SafeClimate sponsored by the World Resources Institute
• American Forests calculator
• TerraPass , a carbon offsets provider
• For a comparative study of these Carbon Calculators conducted by Vanderbilt University’s own J. Paul Padgett, John H. Clarke, and Michael Vandenbergh, along with University of Washington’s Anne Steineman, please consult “A Comparison of Carbon Calculators.” 2008. Environmental Impact Assessment Review . 28: 106-115.

Classroom Uses of Footprints

The teaching moments afforded by footprint calculators are many and may be found in courses across the disciplines:

• Making the invisible visible .  Much of our consumption and its many environmental impacts are not immediately obvious since they are obscured by our limited knowledge of any number of complex extraction and production processes.  Ecological footprints encourage investigation and discussion of these processes and thus afford many opportunities to consider more fully human impacts on the natural world.
• Ecological literacy .  Footprint calculations can give us a window into the ecological processes on which our ways of life depend, and thus provide occasions to discuss natural resource and waste management, particularly resource depletion, renewal, and toxification.  Indeed, one benefit of footprint calculations is that they account for natural limits to resource use and therefore help students to attend to the overconsumption of natural resources, or “overshoot,” and its implications for future generations.
• Social literacy .  Examining any ecological footprint will inevitably lead to investigations of the development of social systems – political, economic, and cultural – that shape human consumption and production.  This will give students chances to achieve greater social literacy by learning such things as population demographics, consumption trends, economic development models, and policy priorities, just to name a few.
• Lifestyle choices .  Ecological footprint calculators provide a unique feedback mechanism to students about the impacts of their consumption and the lifestyle associated with it.  These highly personal choices – from diet to energy use – can be emotionally loaded and thus difficult to discuss.  But when done tactfully, discussion of personal consumption can yield profound learning moments and new intellectual inquiry for the future.  Among the most interesting questions is to what extent individual or household consumption can help solve problems such as climate change, something Vanderbilt researchers, Amanda Carrico, Mike Vandenbergh, and Jonathan Gilligan have researched with Paul Stern, Gerald Gardner and Thomas Dietz. Read their paper “Energy and Climate Change: Key Lessons for Implementing the Behavioral Wedge.”
• Environmental history .  As footprint calculations are conducted over time, we may have more accurate assessments of cumulative impacts and thus have a clearer sense of how human society has shaped the natural world, and vice versa.
• Inequality .  Footprint calculations compared over individuals, groups, or entire nations can provide a basis for wide-ranging discussions of inequality in resource use and waste, as well as the cultural, political, and economic systems that structure them.
• Policy analysis .  More precise ecological accounting inevitably leads to discussions of different regimes of resource management, and thus offers opportunities to debate environmental policy at the local, national, or global level.  Further, because ecological footprints can suggest multiple and highly different models of achieving sustainability, they may foster discussion about a wide range of environmental policies.
• Future directions .  Ecological footprint discussions often lead to broad yet urgent student questions about how to define and construct a sustainable society.  These are among the most difficult questions to answer because they are weighted with many complexities, uncertainties, and moral quandaries.  Yet, such questions can provide openings for fruitful discussions of ways students may engage in new areas of research, policy, and leadership.

Limitations of Footprints

Footprint calculators are not without their limitations, however.  Even so, the limitations of footprint calculators below afford their own teaching moments.  In reference to Carbon Calculators, Mike Vandenbergh , Vanderbilt University Professor of Law, suggests several limitations are important to consider:

• Non-transparency .  Carbon Calculators involve many data points and complex calculations.  To make them accessible to a wide audience, they often simplify the results and fail to disclose some of the methods or data sources involved.  This can limit the educational potential of the calculators.  Therefore, it is important to understand the methods behind the calculations and make this part of the teaching process.
• Limited inputs .  Some calculators are better than others.  Some use too few or unreliable sources of data, while others do not.  Therefore it is important to know the sources and methods of footprint calculations and to encourage students to think critically about them.
• Lack of context .  Carbon footprint calculations can provide useful measures of carbon emissions, but their relevance is always dependent upon the teaching context.  Thus it is important for educators to use them well and to contextualize their use within specific learning goals of the course and broader disciplinary orientations towards questions of sustainability.
• Skepticism .  Many students may regard footprint calculations skeptically for a variety of reasons: the publicity and persuasiveness of climate change skepticism, the personal threat they may feel to their lifestyle, or the challenge they may feel to their political identity, just to name three.  However, a critical, comprehensive, and not selective skepticism is something to be encouraged in students, and these reactions present teaching moments about the challenges of critical thinking and of the difficult choices posed by global environmental problems.

Ecological Footprints Resources

The Global Footprint Network supports the shift towards a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological Footprint, a measurement and management tool that makes the reality of global limits central to decision-making.  Ecological footprint projects can be an effective way to get students thinking about how sustainability intersects with their lives.

The latest results from Vanderbilt’s Green House Gas Emissions Survey may be especially useful for Vanderbilt faculty who wish to incorporate campus operations and sustainability into their courses.  Some interesting highlights:

Vanderbilt University’s total carbon footprint for 2009 is approximately 464,240 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), a 2.4% decrease since 2005.

Of this total, 39% is electricity purchased from NES, 23% is from coal use at the VU power plant, 19% is from faculty and staff commuting, and 14% is from natural gas use at the VU power plant.  This is represented in the pie chart below:

Carleton College’s Science Education Resource Center (SERC).  A broad and multifaceted program, SERC is home to various resources and links that may be of use, including the Climate Literacy Network , the Pedagogy in Action website , and Teaching the Earth , among other valuable sites.

“The Ecological Footprint: Accounting for a Small Planet,” a film produced by Bullfrog Films in 2005, features Dr. Mathis Wackernagel and is a good introduction to natural resource accounting.  Directed by Patsy Northcutt for the Global Footprint Network, it is 30 minutes long.

“ Ecological Footprint Feedback: Motivating or Discouraging? ,” an article by Amara Brook in Social Influence (Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 113-28, 2011), discusses the psychological challenges of motivating students with ecological footprints.  While some students with high personal commitments to environmental sustainability were motivated to take action by their own footprint data, others without such commitments were not.  This suggests at the very least that teaching with ecological footprints requires nuance and intentional discussion of their affective aspects.

Sustainability and Environmental Management Office : The SustainVU website offers an invaluable resource for instructors who want to familiarize themselves with the sustainability landscape at Vanderbilt.  SEMO’s mission is to initiate, promote, coordinate, evaluate, and encourage environmental management and sustainability initiatives that improve Vanderbilt’s impact on the community and environment.

Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative : VBI is Vanderbilt’s student-run biodiesel production system, which converts waste vegetable oil into biodiesel fuel that is used by several VU diesel-fueled engines.  One of the byproducts of this process, glycerin, is used to make EcoSuds soap, which is sold at several locations on campus.  VBI aims to educate others about the viability of biodiesel as an alternative fuel.

Vanderbilt School for Science and Math :  The School for Science and Math is a joint venture between VUMC and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools offering high school students an interdisciplinary, research-centered learning experience.  The School for Science and Math has developed innovative sustainability projects and learning experiences, including a biodiversity inventory of Vanderbilt’s campus, a bioassessment of the Little Harpeth River, and a videoconference with scientists in Hawaii to discuss the Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch.

Tennessee Higher Education Sustainability Association : THESA is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting sustainability initiatives taking place within higher education institutions within Tennessee.  It seeks to ensure that the societal movement toward sustainability is reflected in and promoted at college and university campuses across the state.   The THESA website offers information about relevant conferences and other events, resources for instructors, information on model programs across the state, and updates on campus sustainability initiatives in the local news.

Organizations and Journals

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education : AASHE is an association of colleges and universities working to create a sustainable future.  AASHE provides resources, professional development opportunities, and a network of support to enable institutions to model and advance sustainability in everything from governance and operations to education and research.  Vanderbilt is a member of AASHE, with full access to their resources.  Just be sure to use your @vanderbilt.edu address when signing up for an account.

The Association for Experiential Education : AEE is a nonprofit, professional membership association dedicated to experiential education and the students, educators and practitioners who utilize its philosophy.  Their website includes information on relevant books, articles, conferences, and other resources.

The Journal of Sustainability Education : JSE serves as a forum for academics and practitioners to share, critique, and promote research, practices, and initiatives that foster the integration of economic, ecological, and socio-cultural dimensions of sustainability within formal and non-formal educational contexts.  JSE is a peer-reviewed, open-access, trans- and interdisciplinary e-journal.

The Center for Ecoliteracy : The Center for Ecoliteracy promotes the green schooling movement.  The Center is best known for its work with school gardens, school lunches, and integrating ecological principles and sustainability into school curricula.  The Center for Ecoliteracy offers books; teaching guides; professional development seminars; a sustainability leadership academy; keynote presentations; and consulting services.

Going Green on Campus : This site, from Let’s Go Solar, has some useful tools for students to use to consider their campus consumption, resource use, and impact.

Aber, John, Tom Kelly and Bruce Mallory, Eds. The Sustainable Learning Community: One University’s Journey to the Future . New Hampshire, 2009.

Barlett, Peggy, and Geoffery Chase.  Sustainability on Campus: Stories and Strategies for Change .  Boston: MIT Press, 2004. (available in the CFT library)

Blewitt, John and Cederic Cullingford, Eds. The Sustainability Curriculum: The Challenge for Higher Education . Earthscan, 2004.

Creighton, Sarah Hammond. Greening the Ivory Tower: Improving the Environmental Track Record of Universities, Colleges, and Other Institutions . MIT Press, 1998.

Hernandez, Carlos, and Rashmi Mayur.  Pedagogy of the Earth: Education for a Sustainable Future .  Kumarian Press, 1999.

Kahn, Richard.  Critical Pedagogy, Ecoliteracy, and Planetary Crisis: the Ecopedagogy Movement. Peter Lang Publishing, 2010.

M’Gonigle, Michael and Justine Starke. Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University . New Society Publishers, 2006.

Murray, Paul. The Sustainable Self: A Personal Approach to Sustainability Education . Earthscan, 2011.

Orr, David.  Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World .  Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.

Rappaport, Ann and Sarah Hammond Creighton. Degrees that Matter: Climate Change and the University . MIT Press, 2007.

Stibbe, Arran. The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy: Skills for a Changing World .  Green Books Press, 2010.  (available in the CFT library)

Blogs and Podcasts

On March 30, 2010, the CFT hosted a panel discussion on “Sustainability Across the Curriculum.”  See our blog post for a full description of the conversation.  We also recorded the panelists’ comments as a podcast .

Teaching Guides

• Online Course Development Resources
• Principles & Frameworks
• Pedagogies & Strategies
• Reflecting & Assessing
• Challenges & Opportunities
• Populations & Contexts

Quick Links

• Services for Departments and Schools
• Examples of Online Instructional Modules

12.4 Annotated Student Sample: "Healthy Diets from Sustainable Sources Can Save the Earth" by Lily Tran

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Analyze how writers use evidence in research writing.
• Analyze the ways a writer incorporates sources into research writing, while retaining their own voice.
• Explain the use of headings as organizational tools in research writing.
• Analyze how writers use evidence to address counterarguments when writing a research essay.

Introduction

In this argumentative research essay for a first-year composition class, student Lily Tran creates a solid, focused argument and supports it with researched evidence. Throughout the essay, she uses this evidence to support cause-and-effect and problem-solution reasoning, make strong appeals, and develop her ethos on the topic.

Living by Their Own Words

Food as change.

public domain text For the human race to have a sustainable future, massive changes in the way food is produced, processed, and distributed are necessary on a global scale. end public domain text

annotated text Purpose. Lily Tran refers to what she sees as the general purpose for writing this paper: the problem of current global practices in food production, processing, and distribution. By presenting the “problem,” she immediately prepares readers for her proposed solution. end annotated text

public domain text The required changes will affect nearly all aspects of life, including not only world hunger but also health and welfare, land use and habitats, water quality and availability, energy use and production, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, economics, and even cultural and social values. These changes may not be popular, but they are imperative. The human race must turn to sustainable food systems that provide healthy diets with minimal environmental impact—and starting now. end public domain text

annotated text Thesis. Leading up to this clear, declarative thesis statement are key points on which Tran will expand later. In doing this, she presents some foundational evidence that connects the problem to the proposed solution. end annotated text

THE COMING FOOD CRISIS

public domain text The world population has been rising exponentially in modern history. From 1 billion in 1804, it doubled to approximately 2 billion by 1927, then doubled again to approximately 4 billion in 1974. By 2019, it had nearly doubled again, rising to 7.7 billion (“World Population by Year”). It has been projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050 (Berners-Lee et al.). At the same time, the average life span also has been increasing. These situations have led to severe stress on the environment, particularly in the demands for food. It has been estimated, for example, that by 2050, milk production will increase 58 percent and meat production 73 percent (Chai et al.). end public domain text

annotated text Evidence. In this first supporting paragraph, Tran uses numerical evidence from several sources. This numerical data as evidence helps establish the projection of population growth. By beginning with such evidence, Tran underscores the severity of the situation. end annotated text

public domain text Theoretically, the planet can produce enough food for everyone, but human activities have endangered this capability through unsustainable practices. Currently, agriculture produces 10–23 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases—the most common being carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor— trap heat in the atmosphere, reradiate it, and send it back to Earth again. Heat trapped in the atmosphere is a problem because it causes unnatural global warming as well as air pollution, extreme weather conditions, and respiratory diseases. end public domain text

annotated text Audience. With her audience in mind, Tran briefly explains the problem of greenhouse gases and global warming. end annotated text

public domain text It has been estimated that global greenhouse gas emissions will increase by as much as 150 percent by 2030 (Chai et al.). Transportation also has a negative effect on the environment when foods are shipped around the world. As Joseph Poore of the University of Oxford commented, “It’s essential to be mindful about everything we consume: air-transported fruit and veg can create more greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram than poultry meat, for example” (qtd. in Gray). end public domain text

annotated text Transition. By beginning this paragraph with her own transition of ideas, Tran establishes control over the organization and development of ideas. Thus, she retains her sources as supports and does not allow them to dominate her essay. end annotated text

public domain text Current practices have affected the nutritional value of foods. Concentrated animal-feeding operations, intended to increase production, have had the side effect of decreasing nutritional content in animal protein and increasing saturated fat. One study found that an intensively raised chicken in 2017 contained only one-sixth of the amount of omega-3 fatty acid, an essential nutrient, that was in a chicken in 1970. Today the majority of calories in chicken come from fat rather than protein (World Wildlife Fund). end public domain text

annotated text Example. By focusing on an example (chicken), Tran uses specific research data to develop the nuance of the argument. end annotated text

public domain text Current policies such as government subsidies that divert food to biofuels are counterproductive to the goal of achieving adequate global nutrition. Some trade policies allow “dumping” of below-cost, subsidized foods on developing countries that should instead be enabled to protect their farmers and meet their own nutritional needs (Sierra Club). Too often, agriculture’s objectives are geared toward maximizing quantities produced per acre rather than optimizing output of critical nutritional needs and protection of the environment. end public domain text

AREAS OF CONCERN

Hunger and nutrition.

annotated text Headings and Subheadings. Throughout the essay, Tran has created headings and subheadings to help organize her argument and clarify it for readers. end annotated text

public domain text More than 820 million people around the world do not have enough to eat. At the same time, about a third of all grains and almost two-thirds of all soybeans, maize, and barley crops are fed to animals (Barnard). According to the World Health Organization, 462 million adults are underweight, 47 million children under 5 years of age are underweight for their height, 14.3 million are severely underweight for their height, and 144 million are stunted (“Malnutrition”). About 45 percent of mortality among children under 5 is linked to undernutrition. These deaths occur mainly in low- and middle-income countries where, in stark contrast, the rate of childhood obesity is rising. Globally, 1.9 billion adults and 38.3 million children are overweight or obese (“Obesity”). Undernutrition and obesity can be found in the same household, largely a result of eating energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugars. The global impact of malnutrition, which includes both undernutrition and obesity, has lasting developmental, economic, social, and medical consequences. end public domain text

public domain text In 2019, Berners-Lee et al. published the results of their quantitative analysis of global and regional food supply. They determined that significant changes are needed on four fronts: end public domain text

Food production must be sufficient, in quantity and quality, to feed the global population without unacceptable environmental impacts. Food distribution must be sufficiently efficient so that a diverse range of foods containing adequate nutrition is available to all, again without unacceptable environmental impacts. Socio-economic conditions must be sufficiently equitable so that all consumers can access the quantity and range of foods needed for a healthy diet. Consumers need to be able to make informed and rational choices so that they consume a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet (10).

annotated text Block Quote. The writer has chosen to present important evidence as a direct quotation, using the correct format for direct quotations longer than four lines. See Section Editing Focus: Integrating Sources and Quotations for more information about block quotes. end annotated text

public domain text Among their findings, they singled out, in particular, the practice of using human-edible crops to produce meat, dairy, and fish for the human table. Currently 34 percent of human-edible crops are fed to animals, a practice that reduces calorie and protein supplies. They state in their report, “If society continues on a ‘business-as-usual’ dietary trajectory, a 119% increase in edible crops grown will be required by 2050” (1). Future food production and distribution must be transformed into systems that are nutritionally adequate, environmentally sound, and economically affordable. end public domain text

Land and Water Use

public domain text Agriculture occupies 40 percent of Earth’s ice-free land mass (Barnard). While the net area used for producing food has been fairly constant since the mid-20th century, the locations have shifted significantly. Temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Russia have lost agricultural land to other uses, while in the tropics, agricultural land has expanded, mainly as a result of clearing forests and burning biomass (Willett et al.). Seventy percent of the rainforest that has been cut down is being used to graze livestock (Münter). Agricultural use of water is of critical concern both quantitatively and qualitatively. Agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of freshwater use, making it “the world’s largest water-consuming sector” (Barnard). Meat, dairy, and egg production causes water pollution, as liquid wastes flow into rivers and to the ocean (World Wildlife Fund and Knorr Foods). According to the Hertwich et al., “the impacts related to these activities are unlikely to be reduced, but rather enhanced, in a business-as-usual scenario for the future” (13). end public domain text

annotated text Statistical Data. To develop her points related to land and water use, Tran presents specific statistical data throughout this section. Notice that she has chosen only the needed words of these key points to ensure that she controls the development of the supporting point and does not overuse borrowed source material. end annotated text

annotated text Defining Terms. Aware of her audience, Tran defines monocropping , a term that may be unfamiliar. end annotated text

public domain text Earth’s resources and ability to absorb pollution are limited, and many current agricultural practices undermine these capacities. Among these unsustainable practices are monocropping [growing a single crop year after year on the same land], concentrated animal-feeding operations, and overdependence on manufactured pesticides and fertilizers (Hamilton). Such practices deplete the soil, dramatically increase energy use, reduce pollinator populations, and lead to the collapse of resource supplies. One study found that producing one gram of beef for human consumption requires 42 times more land, 2 times more water, and 4 times more nitrogen than staple crops. It also creates 3 times more greenhouse gas emissions (Chai et al.). The EAT– Lancet Commission calls for “halting expansion of new agricultural land at the expense of natural ecosystems . . . strict protections on intact ecosystems, suspending concessions for logging in protected areas, or conversion of remaining intact ecosystems, particularly peatlands and forest areas” (Willett et al. 481). The Commission also calls for land-use zoning, regulations prohibiting land clearing, and incentives for protecting natural areas, including forests. end public domain text

annotated text Synthesis. The paragraphs above and below this comment show how Tran has synthesized content from several sources to help establish and reinforce key supports of her essay . end annotated text

Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change

public domain text Climate change is heavily affected by two factors: greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. In nature, the two remain in balance; for example, most animals exhale carbon dioxide, and most plants capture carbon dioxide. Carbon is also captured, or sequestered, by soil and water, especially oceans, in what are called “sinks.” Human activities have skewed this balance over the past two centuries. The shift in land use, which exploits land, water, and fossil energy, has caused increased greenhouse-gas emissions, which in turn accelerate climate change. end public domain text

public domain text Global food systems are threatened by climate change because farmers depend on relatively stable climate systems to plan for production and harvest. Yet food production is responsible for up to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions (Barnard). While soil can be a highly effective means of carbon sequestration, agricultural soils have lost much of their effectiveness from overgrazing, erosion, overuse of chemical fertilizer, and excess tilling. Hamilton reports that the world’s cultivated and grazed soils have lost 50 to 70 percent of their ability to accumulate and store carbon. As a result, “billions of tons of carbon have been released into the atmosphere.” end public domain text

annotated text Direct Quotation and Paraphrase. While Tran has paraphrased some content of this source borrowing, because of the specificity and impact of the number— “billions of tons of carbon”—she has chosen to use the author’s original words. As she has done elsewhere in the essay, she has indicated these as directly borrowed words by placing them within quotation marks. See Section 12.5 for more about paraphrasing. end annotated text

public domain text While carbon sequestration has been falling, greenhouse gas emissions have been increasing as a result of the production, transport, processing, storage, waste disposal, and other life stages of food production. Agriculture alone is responsible for fully 10 to 12 percent of global emissions, and that figure is estimated to rise by up to 150 percent of current levels by 2030 (Chai et al.). Münter reports that “more greenhouse gas emissions are produced by growing livestock for meat than all the planes, trains, ships, cars, trucks, and all forms of fossil fuel-based transportation combined” (5). Additional greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide, are produced by the decomposition of organic wastes. Methane has 25 times and nitrous oxide has nearly 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide (Curnow). Agricultural and food production systems must be reformed to shift agriculture from greenhouse gas source to sink. end public domain text

Social and Cultural Values

public domain text As the Sierra Club has pointed out, agriculture is inherently cultural: all systems of food production have “the capacity to generate . . . economic benefits and ecological capital” as well as “a sense of meaning and connection to natural resources.” Yet this connection is more evident in some cultures and less so in others. Wealthy countries built on a consumer culture emphasize excess consumption. One result of this attitude is that in 2014, Americans discarded the equivalent of $165 billion worth of food. Much of this waste ended up rotting in landfills, comprised the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste, and contributed a substantial portion of U.S. methane emissions (Sierra Club). In low- and middle-income countries, food waste tends to occur in early production stages because of poor scheduling of harvests, improper handling of produce, or lack of market access (Willett et al.). The recent “America First” philosophy has encouraged prioritizing the economic welfare of one nation to the detriment of global welfare and sustainability. end public domain text

annotated text Synthesis and Response to Claims. Here, as in subsequent sections, while still relying heavily on facts and content from borrowed sources, Tran provides her synthesized understanding of the information by responding to key points. end annotated text

public domain text In response to claims that a vegetarian diet is a necessary component of sustainable food production and consumption, Lusk and Norwood determined the importance of meat in a consumer’s diet. Their study indicated that meat is the most valuable food category to consumers, and “humans derive great pleasure from consuming beef, pork, and poultry” (120). Currently only 4 percent of Americans are vegetarians, and it would be difficult to convince consumers to change their eating habits. Purdy adds “there’s the issue of philosophy. A lot of vegans aren’t in the business of avoiding animal products for the sake of land sustainability. Many would prefer to just leave animal husbandry out of food altogether.” end public domain text

public domain text At the same time, consumers expect ready availability of the foods they desire, regardless of health implications or sustainability of sources. Unhealthy and unsustainable foods are heavily marketed. Out-of-season produce is imported year-round, increasing carbon emissions from air transportation. Highly processed and packaged convenience foods are nutritionally inferior and waste both energy and packaging materials. Serving sizes are larger than necessary, contributing to overconsumption and obesity. Snack food vending machines are ubiquitous in schools and public buildings. What is needed is a widespread attitude shift toward reducing waste, choosing local fruits and vegetables that are in season, and paying attention to how foods are grown and transported. end public domain text

annotated text Thesis Restated. Restating her thesis, Tran ends this section by advocating for a change in attitude to bring about sustainability. end annotated text

DISSENTING OPINIONS

annotated text Counterclaims . Tran uses equally strong research to present the counterargument. Presenting both sides by addressing objections is important in constructing a clear, well-reasoned argument. Writers should use as much rigor in finding research-based evidence to counter the opposition as they do to develop their argument. end annotated text

public domain text Transformation of the food production system faces resistance for a number of reasons, most of which dispute the need for plant-based diets. Historically, meat has been considered integral to athletes’ diets and thus has caused many consumers to believe meat is necessary for a healthy diet. Lynch et al. examined the impact of plant-based diets on human physical health, environmental sustainability, and exercise performance capacity. The results show “it is unlikely that plant-based diets provide advantages, but do not suffer from disadvantages, compared to omnivorous diets for strength, anaerobic, or aerobic exercise performance” (1). end public domain text

public domain text A second objection addresses the claim that land use for animal-based food production contributes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and is inefficient in terms of nutrient delivery. Berners-Lee et al. point out that animal nutrition from grass, pasture, and silage comes partially from land that cannot be used for other purposes, such as producing food directly edible by humans or for other ecosystem services such as biofuel production. Consequently, nutritional losses from such land use do not fully translate into losses of human-available nutrients (3). end public domain text

annotated text Paraphrase. Tran has paraphrased the information as support. Though she still cites the source, she has changed the words to her own, most likely to condense a larger amount of original text or to make it more accessible. end annotated text

public domain text While this objection may be correct, it does not address the fact that natural carbon sinks are being destroyed to increase agricultural land and, therefore, increase greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. end public domain text

public domain text Another significant dissenting opinion is that transforming food production will place hardships on farmers and others employed in the food industry. Farmers and ranchers make a major investment in their own operations. At the same time, they support jobs in related industries, as consumers of farm machinery, customers at local businesses, and suppliers for other industries such as food processing (Schulz). Sparks reports that “livestock farmers are being unfairly ‘demonized’ by vegans and environmental advocates” and argues that while farming includes both costs and benefits, the costs receive much more attention than the benefits. end public domain text

FUTURE GENERATIONS

public domain text The EAT– Lancet Commission calls for a transformation in the global food system, implementing different core processes and feedback. This transformation will not happen unless there is “widespread, multi-sector, multilevel action to change what food is eaten, how it is produced, and its effects on the environment and health, while providing healthy diets for the global population” (Willett et al. 476). System changes will require global efforts coordinated across all levels and will require governments, the private sector, and civil society to share a common vision and goals. Scientific modeling indicates 10 billion people could indeed be fed a healthy and sustainable diet. end public domain text

annotated text Conclusion. While still using research-based sources as evidence in the concluding section, Tran finishes with her own words, restating her thesis. end annotated text

public domain text For the human race to have a sustainable future, massive changes in the way food is produced, processed, and distributed are necessary on a global scale. The required changes will affect nearly all aspects of life, including not only world hunger but also health and welfare, land use and habitats, water quality and availability, energy use and production, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, economics, and even cultural and social values. These changes may not be popular, but they are imperative. They are also achievable. The human race must turn to sustainable food systems that provide healthy diets with minimal environmental impact, starting now. end public domain text

annotated text Sources. Note two important aspects of the sources chosen: 1) They represent a range of perspectives, and 2) They are all quite current. When exploring a contemporary topic, it is important to avoid research that is out of date. end annotated text

Works Cited

Barnard, Neal. “How Eating More Plants Can Save Lives and the Planet.” Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine , 24 Jan. 2019, www.pcrm.org/news/blog/how-eating-more-plants-can-save-lives-and-planet. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Berners-Lee, M., et al. “Current Global Food Production Is Sufficient to Meet Human Nutritional Needs in 2050 Provided There Is Radical Societal Adaptation.” Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene , vol. 6, no. 52, 2018, doi:10.1525/elementa.310. Accessed 7 Dec. 2020.

Chai, Bingli Clark, et al. “Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets.” Sustainability , vol. 11, no. 15, 2019, doi: underline 10.3390/su11154110 end underline . Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Curnow, Mandy. “Managing Manure to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” Government of Western Australia, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 2 Nov. 2020, www.agric.wa.gov.au/climate-change/managing-manure-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020.

Gray, Richard. “Why the Vegan Diet Is Not Always Green.” BBC , 13 Feb. 2020, www.bbc.com/future/article/20200211-why-the-vegan-diet-is-not-always-green. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Hamilton, Bruce. “Food and Our Climate.” Sierra Club, 2014, www.sierraclub.org/compass/2014/10/food-and-our-climate. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Hertwich. Edgar G., et al. Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production. United Nations Environment Programme, 2010, www.resourcepanel.org/reports/assessing-environmental-impacts-consumption-and-production.

Lusk, Jayson L., and F. Bailey Norwood. “Some Economic Benefits and Costs of Vegetarianism.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , vol. 38, no. 2, 2009, pp. 109-24, doi: 10.1017/S1068280500003142. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Lynch Heidi, et al. “Plant-Based Diets: Considerations for Environmental Impact, Protein Quality, and Exercise Performance.” Nutrients, vol. 10, no. 12, 2018, doi:10.3390/nu10121841. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Münter, Leilani. “Why a Plant-Based Diet Will Save the World.” Health and the Environment. Disruptive Women in Health Care & the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2012, archive.epa.gov/womenandgirls/web/pdf/1016healththeenvironmentebook.pdf.

Purdy, Chase. “Being Vegan Isn’t as Good for Humanity as You Think.” Quartz , 4 Aug. 2016, qz.com/749443/being-vegan-isnt-as-environmentally-friendly-as-you-think/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2020.

Schulz, Lee. “Would a Sudden Loss of the Meat and Dairy Industry, and All the Ripple Effects, Destroy the Economy?” Iowa State U Department of Economics, www.econ.iastate.edu/node/691. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Sierra Club. “Agriculture and Food.” Sierra Club, 28 Feb. 2015, www.sierraclub.org/policy/agriculture/food. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Sparks, Hannah. “Veganism Won’t Save the World from Environmental Ruin, Researchers Warn.” New York Post , 29 Nov. 2019, nypost.com/2019/11/29/veganism-wont-save-the-world-from-environmental-ruin-researchers-warn/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Willett, Walter, et al. “Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT– Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems.” The Lancet, vol. 393, no. 10170, 2019. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

World Health Organization. “Malnutrition.” World Health Organization, 1 Apr. 2020, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition. Accessed 8 Dec. 2020.

World Health Organization. “Obesity and Overweight.” World Health Organization, 1 Apr. 2020, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight. Accessed 8 Dec. 2020.

World Wildlife Fund. Appetite for Destruction: Summary Report. World Wildlife Fund, 2017, www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/WWF_AppetiteForDestruction_Summary_Report_SignOff.pdf.

World Wildlife Fund and Knorr Foods. Future Fifty Foods. World Wildlife Fund, 2019, www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-02/Knorr_Future_50_Report_FINAL_Online.pdf.

“World Population by Year.” Worldometer , www.worldometers.info/world-population/world-population-by-year/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2020.

Discussion Questions

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Sustainability Essay: How to Write a Great Report

The art of crafting a sustainability essay is a profound endeavor that transcends boundaries. This comprehensive guide is not limited to students alone because sustainability reports may be necessary in any sphere. It extends its reach to business managers, environmental activists, policymakers, and anyone seeking to make a positive impact on the world. As the global call for sustainability grows louder, your essay can be a powerful tool to inspire change and contribute to the larger vision of a sustainable future. Let’s explore the key elements, essential tips, and real-life examples to create a compelling and influential sustainability report.

Writing an Essay about Sustainability: What to Include?

These are the core elements of any essay about sustainability:

Defining Sustainability

At the heart of every sustainability essay lies the core definition of sustainability. To create a meaningful impact, your introduction must encompass a holistic understanding of the term. Explain how sustainability involves balancing environmental, social, and economic considerations to ensure the well-being of both present and future generations. Acknowledge that sustainable practices promote harmony between humanity and the planet, fostering resilience and longevity in our interconnected ecosystem.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

When you write a sustainability report, align it with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to give it a global context. These 17 goals serve as a compass to guide nations and organizations toward a more sustainable path. If you are writing about a specific issue, demonstrate how it relates to one or more SDGs, emphasizing its relevance and impact on broader sustainable development efforts.

Research and Data

A compelling sustainability essay requires a robust foundation of research and data. Cite credible sources to support your claims and recommendations. For instance, if you are writing about renewable energy, include statistical evidence showcasing the growth of renewable energy adoption and its positive effects on reducing carbon emissions. Use case studies and real-world examples to back your arguments, making your essay both informative and persuasive.

If you struggle with researching proper data and statistics, you can resort to online essay service for help in this issue. CustomWritings is one of such writing services. It offers online help for any type of report or essay. Professional writers can help you in conducting research to find actual data about sustainability.

Stakeholder Analysis

Recognize that sustainability is a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders. Address the perspectives and interests of governments, businesses, communities, NGOs, and individuals. Analyzing diverse viewpoints allows your essay to present a comprehensive and inclusive approach to tackling sustainability challenges.

Environmental Sustainability

Dedicate a substantial portion of your essay to discussing environmental sustainability. It is the cornerstone of the broader sustainability framework. Elaborate on the pressing issues of climate change, deforestation, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Introduce innovative solutions such as sustainable agriculture, green urban planning, and circular economy practices. Provide tangible examples of how businesses have successfully integrated sustainable practices into their operations, reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to a healthier planet.

Social Sustainability

Address the social dimension of sustainability in your essay. Discuss the importance of social equity, inclusivity, and community engagement. Highlight initiatives that promote education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. It ensures that no one is alone  in the journey towards sustainability. For instance, you can showcase how microfinance programs have empowered women in rural areas, leading to better economic and social outcomes.

Economic Sustainability

Explain the integral role of economic sustainability in the sustainability essay. Emphasize the need for responsible and ethical business practices that prioritize long-term benefits over short-term gains. Discuss how the circular economy model can foster economic growth while minimizing waste generation and resource depletion. Back your arguments with success stories of companies that have embraced sustainable business practices and thrived in the market.

Main Tips to Write a Sustainability Essay

The following are the vital tips on how to write a sustainability essay properly:

• Clear and concise language. While sustainability is a multifaceted topic, use clear and concise language to convey your ideas effectively. Avoid jargon and complex terminology that might alienate readers. Instead, focus on presenting complex concepts in a manner accessible to a broader audience of your essay on sustainability.
• Engaging introduction. Begin your sustainability essay with an engaging introduction that captivates readers' attention. Draw them in with a compelling narrative, an intriguing fact, or a quote from a prominent sustainability advocate. By generating interest from the outset, you encourage readers to delve deeper into your essay.
• Structured body paragraphs. Organize your sustainability essay into well-structured body paragraphs, each dedicated to a specific theme or sub-topic. Utilize subheadings within these paragraphs to create a clear and logical flow of information. This approach allows readers to navigate through the essay with ease and focus on key aspects of sustainability.
• Incorporate visuals. Incorporate visual aids such as charts, graphs, infographics, and images to enhance the visual appeal of your sustainability essay. Visual representations of data and information make complex concepts more understandable and memorable.
• Addressing counter arguments. Anticipate potential counterarguments to your sustainability proposals and address them with well-reasoned responses. By demonstrating a thoughtful consideration of opposing viewpoints, you strengthen the validity of your essay and showcase your critical thinking skills.
• Real-life examples . Enrich your sustainability essay with real-life examples of successful sustainability initiatives from different sectors. These examples offer tangible evidence of the impact of sustainable practices and inspire readers to envision their potential in their own lives or organizations.
• The significance of sustainable development. In your sustainability essay, emphasize the broader significance of sustainable development. Discuss how the interplay between environmental, social, and economic aspects influences the achievement of a sustainable future. Address the implications of sustainability on a global scale, underscoring the collective responsibility of individuals, businesses, and governments.
• In the conclusion of your sustainability essay, reiterate the core messages and highlight the urgency of embracing sustainable practices. Encourage readers to take concrete actions, both big and small, to contribute to sustainability efforts. Inspire a sense of hope and determination, emphasizing that collective efforts can lead to a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.

Let’s Sum It Up!

Writing a sustainability essay is not merely an academic exercise but an opportunity to contribute actively to a cause that affects us all. By incorporating essential elements, engaging examples, and practical tips into your essay, you can amplify its impact and foster a deeper understanding of sustainability issues. Whether you are an individual, a business manager, or a policymaker, your essay holds the potential to drive transformative change and shape a more sustainable world. Let us join hands and embark on this journey of sustainability, where every word written and every action taken brings us closer to a greener, more equitable future.

Continue reading here: Students and Sustainability: Shaping an Eco-Friendly Campus

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Readers' Questions

How to write a sustainability statement?

Writing a sustainability statement involves three key steps: assessing your organization's environmental impact, setting goals and targets, and communicating your commitment to sustainability. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you write a sustainability statement: Assess environmental impact: Begin by evaluating the environmental impact of your organization's operations, products, and services. Consider factors such as energy use, waste generation, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and supply chain practices. Identify areas where you can make improvements to minimize negative effects. Set goals and targets: Based on your environmental impact assessment, set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals and targets. These should address areas where your organization can reduce its environmental footprint or improve sustainability practices. Examples may include reducing energy consumption by a certain percentage, increasing recycling rates, or sourcing sustainable materials. Craft the statement: Once your goals and targets are established, start drafting your sustainability statement. Here's a framework to follow: a. Introduction: Begin with a concise introduction, stating your organization's name and its commitment to sustainability. b. Values and principles: Outline the key values and principles that guide your organization's sustainability efforts. This could include a commitment to conserving resources, reducing waste, promoting social responsibility, or supporting local communities. c. Goals and targets: Clearly articulate the specific goals and targets you have set for your organization. Provide details on what you aim to achieve, why these goals are important, and how you plan to measure your progress. d. Actions taken: Describe the actions your organization has already taken to address sustainability or reduce its environmental impact. Highlight any initiatives, projects, or practices currently underway that demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. e. Stakeholder engagement: Emphasize the importance of engaging with key stakeholders such as employees, customers, suppliers, and local communities to promote sustainability and gather feedback. Discuss any collaborative efforts or partnerships you have established. f. Continuous improvement: Emphasize your commitment to continuous improvement by regularly reviewing and revising your sustainability practices, as well as seeking new opportunities for innovation and efficiency. g. Conclusion: Wrap up with a strong statement summarizing your dedication to sustainability and the positive impact you aim to make. Review and finalize: After writing the statement, review it for clarity and accuracy. Engage relevant stakeholders within your organization to gather their input and make any necessary revisions. Ensure that the final statement aligns with your organization's values and long-term objectives. Communicate and share: Share your sustainability statement with both internal and external stakeholders. Publish it on your organization's website, include it in annual reports, and promote it through various communication channels to raise awareness about your commitment to sustainability. You can also consider obtaining external certifications or voluntary sustainability reporting to enhance credibility. Remember that your sustainability statement should be transparent, honest, and action-oriented, reflecting your organization's genuine commitment to sustainable practices.

Environmental Sustainability on a Global Scale Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Changes in human relationship to nature, biodiversity and ecosystems (what has been done differently to achieve it), agricultural production, water resource management, energy needs management, waste management.

The brand new world that pays respect to nature in the same way as it respects human convenience proved not to be as far as it seemed at first glance. Compared to the world at the beginning of the 21st century, it required perceptional changes toward nature, biodiversity, and ecosystems, as well as reforms in agriculture and management of water, energy, and waste. However, it allowed humanity to finally defeat the looming ecological doom of the planet and establish a new, sustainable future.

Through increasing awareness, not only consciously but even at a subconscious level, future society was able to grasp the underlying concepts of human and nature harmonic coexistence. Among the first came a realization that human is an inseparable part of the environment. In turn, every environment has a carrying capacity, referring to the maximum size of the biological species population that can be sustained in that environment (Wall, 2020). It triggered various conservative tendencies and shifts in tolerance range regarding the conservation of natural resources and wildlife diversity, along with the redistribution of the population (Jacobson et al., 2019; Nguyen et al., 2020). Apart from that, awareness is, in many ways, synonymous with preparedness. For instance, AI technologies have become sophisticated enough to predict earthquakes based on anomalies in electrotelluric potentials and, thus, allow people to avoid casualties (Al Banna et al., 2020). Overall, the overwhelming knowledge of natural phenomena allowed humanity to predict and deal with natural disasters efficiently.

The concept of carrying capacity has been central to preserving biodiversity in various ecosystems around the globe. It is intertwined with the term ecosystem resilience, which constitutes “the amount of disturbance needed to shift an ecosystem from one set of ecological structures, functions and feedbacks to another set” (Heino et al., 2021, p. 91). In this context, humanity realized that, instead of attempting to prevent the ecosystem disturbance that proved to be incredibly economically inefficient, there is a way of mimicking certain ecosystem conditions to ensure their circumneutral state (Heino et al., 2021). For instance, manipulating a previously disturbed acidified lake regime contributes to its healthy ecosystem preservation.

In sustainable agriculture, humanity has achieved substantial improvements with the help of bioengineering and by juggling “synthetic” and “organic” solutions to supply problems. One of the greatest transitions in the food supply field was the development of sophisticated synthetic meat production chains that eventually economically outvalued the traditional meat industry. The fact that humanity no longer required cattle breeding to produce food opened access to vast lands previously reserved for it (Bensel & Carbone, 2020). Then, using bioengineering advances to produce rich in minerals and soil-friendly fertilizers and by utilizing the newly acquired land, people learned to grow crops that did not harm the soil.

Sustainable water resource management requires a grand monitoring system that tracks ecosystemic regime shifts on local, regional, and global scales. The resulting evaluations built on assessing disturbing indicators, such as changes in climate, land use, organic carbon, species, and acidification, allowed for early interventions and ecosystem balance maintenance (Heino et al., 2021). In particular, preserving the forest resources significantly contributed to maintaining sweet water quantity (Bensel & Carbone, 2020). Apart from that, a great emphasis was put on improving the existing drinking water and wastewater treatment systems to balance the release with the naturally occurring capacity (WSS, 2018). Consequently, potential contamination by pharmaceuticals in water became low enough to be successfully assimilated and attenuated in the environment.

The management of energy needs registered the most significant improvements compared to its non-sustainable state. In the wake of the looming peak oil point, humanity has invested tremendous resources into making the alternatives to internal combustion engines more economically beneficial (Bensel & Carbone, 2020). The most efficient alternative proved to be installing special solar panels in high levels of the atmosphere. This way, harvesting solar energy was no longer limited to the day and night cycle. Besides that, technological advances in energy accumulation and transportation resulted in the abolishment of wires in favor of batteries and other wireless means. In the context of the energy revolution, carbon dioxide emissions have completely stopped, and the Earth’s climate has eventually stabilized.

Waste management in a fully sustainable world has registered significant alterations as well. Compared to the previous associations with the word “disposal,” the new waste management is all about “reuse.” Technological progress has completely eradicated the materials not suited for their future recycling and use. For instance, thermally decomposable lead dioxide has successfully replaced platinum electrodes (Al-Hydary et al., 2020). The conservational tendencies that became ubiquitous in society demanded that all products of human industrial activities are not lost in vain. The most common solution was to make them as organic as possible so that if the material was no longer usable in production, it could decompose without any harm to the environment.

Overall, the world has registered a major societal shift in terms of the tolerance range. Particularly, the behaviors that did not align with the environmental theme went far outside that range and became strictly socially unacceptable. Due to massive public support, environmentalists managed to seize political power worldwide and began to enforce various acts and industrial regulations. The budget reorganization allowed investment in renewable resources research leading to the energy revolution. Apart from that, it led to the water surveillance system’s appearance. Despite the changes’ cost and the abandonment of more short-term convenient energy sources, the planet was finally able to reach its sustainable future, proving the correctness of previous decisions.

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Al-Hydary, I. A. D., Abdullah, A. M., & Al-dujaili, M. A. A. (2020). Utilizing the cold sintering process for sintering the thermally decomposable lead dioxide . Journal of the Australian Ceramic Society , 56 (1), 139-148. Web.

Bensel, T., & Carbone, I. (2020). Sustaining our planet [Course handout]. Zovio.

Heino, J., Alahuhta, J., Bini, L. M., Cai, Y., Heiskanen, A. S., Hellsten, S., & Angeler, D. G. (2021). Lakes in the era of global change: Moving beyond single‐lake thinking in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services . Biological Reviews , 96 (1), 89-106. Web.

Jacobson, S. K., Morales, N. A., Chen, B., Soodeen, R., Moulton, M. P., & Jain, E. (2019). Love or Loss: Effective message framing to promote environmental conservation . Applied Environmental Education & Communication , 18 (3), 252-265. Web.

Nguyen, V. X., Xiao, G., Zhou, J., Li, G., & Li, B. (2020). Bias in social interactions and emergence of extremism in complex social networks . Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science , 30 (10), 103110. Web.

Wall, G. (2020). From carrying capacity to overtourism: A perspective article . Tourism Review , 75 (1), 212-215. Web.

Water Science School (WSS). (2018). Pharmaceuticals in water . USGS. Web.

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Sustainability - Essay Examples And Topic Ideas For Free

Sustainability, a multifaceted concept, embraces the aspiration to fulfill present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Essays on sustainability could explore its three core pillars: economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Discussions might delve into various sustainable practices, such as renewable energy, waste management, and sustainable agriculture, along with the examination of sustainability indices and certifications. The discourse could extend to the exploration of sustainable urban planning, the challenges of fast fashion, and the push towards circular economies. Moreover, essays could delve into the role of policy, education, and innovation in promoting sustainability and addressing climate change. The implications of sustainability on global trade, corporate practices, and consumer behavior, alongside the examination of case studies and initiatives promoting sustainable development across different regions, could provide a well-rounded insight into the complexity and necessity of sustainability in the modern world. A vast selection of complimentary essay illustrations pertaining to Sustainability you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Sustainability in Architecture

Sustainability in architecture is a concept that has been spread across the United States of America for decades now. For some time now the public has acknowledged that if we don't take care of the world we live in then soon it will be gone. The first signs that warned the people in urban areas were not only the in your face issue of global warming but also the increase in the price of energy. Building and business owners found […]

Sustainability Policy

1.Introduction The Sustainability Policy defines the overall Sustainability Practices for (ORGANISATION), as per the ORGANISATION Sustainability Framework. The purpose of this policy is to support ORGANISATION in becoming the most sustainable transport provider in the Middle East. ORGANISATION's Policy is aligned with the relevant local and national strategic directions of the UAE. The ORGANISATION Sustainability Framework follows a continual improvement management approach (Plan-Do-Check-Act) to ensure continuous improvement. It includes establishing reference to the ORGANISATION Sustainability Framework, the related KPIs, and […]

Walmart Vision and Mission Statement

Walmart is one of the major and more famous retailers around the globe operating in more than 11,000 stores in over 25 nations (Hunt, Watts & Bryant, 2018). The company was inaugurated in 1962 and has achieved significant progress due to its effective business strategy (Hunt, Watts & Bryant, 2018). Walmart operates both physical and online stores to enhance convenience for its global consumers. The company realized annual revenue of $500 billion in the fiscal year, of 2017 and boasts […]

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The Case for Urban Agriculture as a Driver of Environmental Sustainability

Abstract As a result of the growing global population, many cities around the world are experiencing rapid urbanization. With that comes a growing demand for food and increasing challenges in food production. One solution increasing in popularity is urban agriculture (UA), simply defined as the production of food in an urban environment. UA can operate on different scales (micro, meso, and macro) have various objectives (recreational, subsistence, or commercial), and take place across landscapes in the form of backyard gardens, […]

Report of a Current Ethical And/or Sustainability Issue in Business

Introduction Business organizations need to be ethical so as to achieve the sustainability of the businesses in the industry. For a business to be ethical it must do what is right and avoid what is wrong towards its stakeholders. When a business organization is ethical to its stakeholders it enhances the organization to have a competitive advantage and customer satisfaction which leads to more sales hence growth and sustainability of the organization. Business can be ethical to its stakeholders. Some […]

Is Globalization Good or Bad Reevaluation

Looking back to the beginning of the semester, the class was tasked to answer if globalization is a good or bad thing. As I was just starting class, I could only answer with personal experiences. Whether if it was from a history lesson from high school, or from playing video games when I was a child. My discussion was not carried through both discussions two and three, even when I took the position of a market globalist with multiple blind […]

Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Companies and People

Social responsibility is the belief that businesses have an obligation to balance profit-making practices with activities that benefit their community. This is also referred to as corporate social responsibility (CSR). Sustainability is the ability to supply necessities for the population without compromising the availability of the resources for those in the future. Throughout this essay, the popularity of sustainability and social responsibility in corporate companies will be examined and explained. In addition, the demographics, including race and religion, of CSR […]

Sustainability in Artisanal Mining: the Role of Major Stakeholders

The Case of Ghana: An Introduction to Mining. Mining can be traced back in history when its activities were informal and unregulated. Today, the formal mining industry can be said to be a 'child' of an informal mining sector whose contribution to the development of mining cannot be overemphasized. Some countries, like Canada, the United States, Australia, and others, in the course of developing their mining sectors, formalized their artisanal gold mining industry through the provision of services such as […]

Overpopulation and its Effects on Human

Approximately 200 years ago, the total population of the Earth was less than one billion. According to the UN, as of 2017 the human population has reached a staggering 7.7 billion. (UN, 2015) Between 1900 and 2000, humanity saw a dramatic increase in its population from 1.5 to 6.1 billion. As the global population continues to balloon, one major issue that is looming overhead the human species is overpopulation. By 2050 the world population will reach to 10 billion people; […]

Sustainability, Starting with Businesses

Sustainability is the ball to the Earths chain, it is something that we need to help humanity, along with every other creature on this planet, survive and also protect the Earth. Sustainability is where Humans can sustain themselves without harming the planet, or at least have the biggest effect on the planet than Earth herself. There are ways that we, as a whole, can change to help reduce the carbon footprint that we so greatly have increased over the years. […]

Sustainability in Water Supply

The theory of water's origin may be debated, but the versatility of water is recognized as vital to human life. Innumerable theories have been proposed about how water was acquired on the earth's surface over the last 4.6 billion years (Robert, "The Origin of Water on Earth," 2001). The significance of water extends beyond everyday survival, serving as an environmental lifeline for numerous species and habitats. Water provides humans with the opportunity to maintain balanced health, support agricultural labor, and […]

Globalization and Automation

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The Sustainability of Bottled Water

Water is a valuable resource that all living things including human beings require in order to survive. It is believed that the realities of the environment will soon hit us to an extent of making us change the behavior regarding the costly use of resources (Earle, 2009). The changes are most likely going to affect the manner in which we use water and hence cause alterations both in quantity and water usage. Privatization of water resources as well as selling […]

Foreign Aid and Micro-entrepreneurship Microfinance Sustainability and Complementary Programs

Cross-borrowing enables clients to collect more money from various institutions without close inspection, and the number of applicants for microfinance has rocketed due to cross-borrowing. This has caused new problems for the microfinance sector. The purpose of achieving self-financial sustainability did not have a positive outcome. Because of the poor portfolios of the clients, MFIs could not demand repayment of the debts from the borrowers. Cross-borrowing also deteriorated the financial situation of the poor and trapped them in the cycle […]

Factors Influencing Sustainability of Electronic Manufacturing Company in Laguna

The 5S program is a technique originated in Japan and was introduced by Takashi Osada in 1980. 5S is consist of five phases from Japanese words: Seiri (sort), Seiton (set in order), Seiso (shine), Seiketso (standardize) and Shitsuke (sustain). 5S is a step by step process of housekeeping to achieve a safe, clean and organized environment in the work area involving the employees with a commitment to sincerely implement and practice housekeeping. When the workplace is unorganized and dirty, the […]

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The first aspect business looks when thinking about sustainability is the operational aspect and saving cost as it is easy to measure.Most of the resource we are using are non-renewable resources,from our energy need to the consumption of oil.But all these resources are bound to get over in the future.There is a term called peak oil,after which production of oil reduces due to reduce reserves.There is already an alert for helium gas which is used in many areas like filling […]

Overpopulation and Climate Change

In the article Overpopulation and Climate Change Arthur H. Westing tells us that the in 1970, the greenhouse gas emission was beyond the sustainability level of the atmosphere and at that time the worlds population was 3.7 million and today it is 6.9 million. In the mean time emission from fossil fuel increased from 14 billion tons to 29 billion tons. Despite the growing awareness of climate change. In the article, Arthur H. Westing gives us the idea to divide […]

JOR Study on the Emerging Trend of Green-Banking and Environment-Sustainability through PSBSIN India

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Sustainability Community Engagement and Diversity Inclusion Review BA

Introduction: Southern Company is an energy holding company that produces and sells electricity through various southern power subsidiaries. It's headquarters is located in Atlanta, GA and the company has been a part of the Fortune 500 list for 24 years. It's current rank is 126, up 19 spots from its ranking in 2017. The CEO is Thomas A. Fanning and he is in charge of 31,344 employees. Southern Company operates 11 regulated utilities serving an estimated 9 million people in […]

Managing Sustainability Development

Executive summary Sustainable development practices for any organization have to be informed by the goals of the company. For Vodafone Company in New Zealand, the goals of the company are to produce quality cell phones, conserve the environment and encourage young people to work hard and be responsible citizens. The project will be undertaken to evaluate how the company can improve efficiency in operations and at the same time maintain the profit margin as it stands. The company is thus […]

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Milton Friedmen and CSR

Social responsibility can be viewed as a vital aspect of people's lives across the globe. Lately, it has also become one of the major increasing concerns in the business world. As a result, interactions between businesses, society, and government have greatly developed. In addition, the standard view of a business's social responsibility holds that it should involve actions that maximize its profit according to Milton Friedman. Contrasting to this view is the socioeconomic outlook of social responsibility which believes that […]

Sustainability in Focus: the Evolution of Waste Management in Augusta

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Sustainability of Excessive Consumption: Untangling the Web of Excesses

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Recently, globalization has played an important role in the national market economies of various countries. It not only enhances economic integration but also motivates trade liberalization. However, many debates still exist regarding the "side effects" of globalization on the development of countries. Therefore, globalization is a controversial issue that consistently receives significant attention from governments around the world. Firstly, according to Chernotsky & Hobbs (2018), globalization is defined as a political, economic, and cultural exchange among nations that enhances trade […]

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The natural environment in Iran faces severe threats such as desertification, degradation of forests and rangelands, land use change, declining groundwater table, landslides, etc. (Geravandi et al., 2012; Ravanbakhsh Sangjoei, 2013; Mesgaran et al., 2017). Ecological pressure in agricultural production spaces, frequent use of land, inappropriate and destructive use of water resources, and reduction of the efficiency of the underlying factors of production (water and land) are all signs of agricultural instability in Iran (Afrakhteh et al., 2013). Based on […]

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The issue of environmental conservation has been a primary subject in many countries across the world. Concerns raised in respect to the subject often stem from the negative effects environmental pollution has demonstrated worldwide. Over the previous decades, a wealth of literature has surfaced from the social accounting sector, indicating a continuous growth in the extent of social disclosure appearing in corporate annual reports. Specifically, the level of environmental disclosures has consistently increased compared to past decades. In Australia, for […]

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Environmental Sustainability — Sustainability

Essays on Sustainability

Choosing sustainability essay topics.

When it comes to writing an essay on sustainability, the topic you choose can make all the difference. Sustainability is a broad and complex concept, encompassing environmental, social, and economic aspects. Therefore, selecting the right topic is crucial to ensure that your essay is both interesting and impactful. In this article, we will discuss the importance of choosing a good sustainability essay topic, provide advice on selecting a topic, and offer a list of recommended essay topics across various categories.

The Importance of the Topic

Writing about sustainability is more important now than ever before. With climate change, resource depletion, and social inequality posing significant challenges to our planet, addressing sustainability issues has become a priority. Choosing the right sustainability essay topic allows you to contribute to the ongoing conversation about these critical issues. Your essay has the potential to raise awareness, spark discussion, and even inspire action. Therefore, it is essential to choose a topic that is not only relevant but also meaningful to you.

Choosing a Topic

When selecting a sustainability essay topic, it is important to consider your interests, expertise, and the current state of the world. Here are a few tips to help you choose the right topic:

• Consider your passion: Choose a topic that aligns with your interests and values. Writing about something you care about will make the process more enjoyable and the end result more compelling.
• Research current issues: Stay informed about the latest sustainability challenges and developments. Addressing current topics will ensure that your essay is relevant and impactful.
• Think multidimensionally: Sustainability encompasses environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Consider topics that integrate these aspects for a well-rounded discussion.

Recommended Essay Topics

Environmental sustainability.

• The impact of climate change on vulnerable communities
• Ways to promote renewable energy in urban areas
• The role of sustainable agriculture in preserving biodiversity
• Strategies for reducing plastic pollution in oceans

Social Sustainability

• Addressing food insecurity in developing countries
• Promoting gender equality in the context of sustainability
• Community-based approaches to sustainable development
• The impact of sustainable practices on public health

Economic Sustainability

• The relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation
• Corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices
• The role of government policies in promoting sustainable development
• Green technologies and their economic implications

Global Sustainability Challenges

• The effects of globalization on sustainability efforts
• International cooperation in addressing climate change
• The role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable resource management
• The ethical implications of global sustainability initiatives

Sustainability in Urban Environments

• Urban planning for sustainable and livable cities
• The impact of transportation on urban sustainability
• Green infrastructure and its role in urban sustainability
• The relationship between urbanization and environmental degradation

These essay topics are just a starting point for exploring the vast field of sustainability. Whether you choose to focus on environmental, social, economic, or global aspects of sustainability, there are numerous opportunities to engage with this important topic. By selecting a meaningful and relevant sustainability essay topic, you can contribute to the ongoing dialogue about creating a more sustainable future for our planet.

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How to Write the Ultimate Essay Hook

4-minute read

• 6th May 2023

Never underestimate the power of an essay hook . This opening statement is meant to grab the reader’s attention and convince them to keep reading. But how do you write one that’ll pack a punch? In this article, we’ll break this down.

What Is an Essay Hook?

An essay hook is the first thing your audience will read. If it doesn’t hook them right off the bat, they might decide not to keep reading. It’s important that your opening statement is impactful while not being too wordy or presumptuous.

It’s also crucial that it clearly relates to your topic. You don’t want to mislead your readers into thinking your essay is about something it’s not. So, what kind of essay hook should you write? Here are seven ideas to choose from:

1.   Story

Everyone likes a good story. If an interesting story or anecdote relates to your essay topic, the hook is a great place to include it. For example:

The key to a good story hook is keeping it short and sweet. You’re not writing a novel in addition to an essay!

2.   Fact

Another great essay hook idea is to lay out a compelling fact or statistic. For example:

There are a few things to keep in mind when doing this. Make sure it’s relevant to your topic, accurate, and something your audience will care about. And, of course, be sure to cite your sources properly.

3.   Metaphor or Simile

If you want to get a little more creative with your essay hook, try using a metaphor or simile . A metaphor states that something is something else in a figurative sense, while a simile states that something is like something else.

Metaphors and similes are effective because they provide a visual for your readers, making them think about a concept in a different way. However, be careful not to make them too far-fetched or overly exaggerated.

4.   Question

Asking your audience a question is a great way to hook them. Not only does it make them think, but they’ll also want to keep reading because you will have sparked their curiosity. For example:

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Try to avoid using questions that start with something along the lines of “Have you ever wondered…?” Instead, try to think of a question they may never have wondered about. And be sure not to answer it right away, at least not fully. Use your essay to do that!

5.   Declaration

Making a bold statement or declaring a strong opinion can immediately catch people’s attention. For example:

Regardless of whether your reader agrees with you, they’ll probably want to keep reading to find out how you will back up your claim. Just make sure your declaration isn’t too controversial, or you might scare readers away!

6.   Common Misconception

Laying out a common misconception is another useful way to hook your reader. For example:

If your readers don’t know that a common belief is actually a misconception, they’ll likely be interested in learning more. And if they are already aware, it’s probably a topic they’re interested in, so they’ll want to read more.

7.   Description

You can put your descriptive powers into action with your essay hook. Creating interesting or compelling imagery places your reader into a scene, making the words come alive.

A description can be something beautiful and appealing or emotionally charged and provoking. Either way, descriptive writing is a powerful way to immerse your audience and keep them reading.

When writing an essay, don’t skimp on the essay hook! The opening statement has the potential to convince your audience to hear what you have to say or to let them walk away. We hope our ideas have given you some inspiration.

And once you finish writing your essay, make sure to send it to our editors. We’ll check it for grammar, spelling, word choice, references, and more. Try it out for free today with a 500-word sample !

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