Like many words, the word sustainability gets thrown around, and not only do many people not really understand what it means, but people often interpret or comprehend it in a multitude of different ways!
Sustainability has kinda become a hot topic of controversy over the recent years. As there are so many varying opinions on it, and also so many people simply trying to profit off of the word/fad, there are not just disagreements on what it is, but a lot of skepticism about people/organizations who use the word, especially to “sell something”.
So first off, I would like to say that I don’t pretend to be “the best” or to be “right”. I simply am as I am. Yet what I have achieved is founding the organization with the lowest carbon footprint of any organization I have ever heard of, and that is even in comparison to Amazon tribes which have no contact with “civilization”! Not only that but I was able to activate such abundance that we fed 40,000 free meals, clothed, educated and housed hundreds more just last year alone. This was all done while still operating at an unprecedented carbon footprint. So I obviously care a great deal about and am very committed to the embodiment of what I believe sustainability is.
Next, I would like to point out that in my experience, words only mean what they are interpreted/translated or comprehended to mean, by each specific individual. Even with a dictionary definition, the comprehension can be quite different amongst varying people, and especially the APPLICATION of that word, even more so with a word like sustainability that does not have such a clear cut definition as say “hot”.
So I will simply give a wikipedia explanation of what the word “sustainability” is, and then more importantly (as far as I am concerned) what my definition/interpretation is, or what it means when I USE the word and the actuality of my application/results of the philosophy.
"In ecology, sustainability (from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes. The organizing principle for sustainability is sustainable development, which includes the four interconnected domains: ecology, economics, politics and culture. Sustainability science is the study of sustainable development and environmental science."
In truth this is just the surface in relevance to all the ways that the word is used and vast variance of its application. This is just one paragraph of the complexity of the wikipedia quote alone.
So it’s a bit of a tricky topic to discuss. Because of this, I want to alchemize this into the way I like things to be: EASY AND SIMPLE!
To me, the explanation of sustainability is simple: In order to live sustainably, every facet of living must be in balance with the environment as a whole.
Pretty much all creatures on earth live this way besides humans. You can see the simplicity of this when any creature on Earth eats a meal: they poo it right back to the environment where they ate it. More profoundly simple even, is the fact that besides eating and breathing, most creatures on earth don’t even consume/mine/harvest/store ANYTHING whatsoever besides the food that they need to survive! They have no possessions, packaging, processing, shipping, etc., and all their food is local. Even the few creatures that store food, such as squirrels, actually benefit the ecosystem as a whole because they are planting new trees. Plus, even if the tree does not grow, the acorn/food just decomposes right into the soil from which it came and turns into new food.
In truth, I often ponder how humans have become so complicated and destructive…There is no creature on Earth that does any of the things humans do, besides the very basics like eating and breathing, which humans somehow find a way to do at the deficit of the environment as a whole. I have a lot of thoughts on this, yet this is a WHOLE topic in and of itself, so I digress.
So what is sustainability and why is it so important?
Sustainability is living in a way that is in harmony with and benefiting the environment as a whole regardless of if you are killing something. See, every creature that eats, kills something. A lion kills a gazelle, and a horse kills lots of grass. Neither one is actually right or wrong but they are BOTH in harmony with their environment. I actually often think of the scene in Lion King about “The Circle of Life”: regardless of what any animal eats, they put it right back--there is no waste, and no outside resources used to do whatever it is they do.
In truth it is FAR more important to consider WHERE your food comes from and what is involved rather than WHAT the food it self is.
There are actually studies that show various humans did live this way once upon a time. Hunter gatherer types who still ate, ate local and did not contribute to any waste. They did have to wear clothes (which is VERY weird, another thing ONLY humans do), but at that time the clothes were still sustainable because the clothes came from abundantly naturally occurring resources that went right back to compost when done with.
This is WHY sustainability is SO important. Because no animal on earth has a concept of the word, for them it’s just “living”! Even for hunter gatherers or some tribes in the Amazon, there is no need for books on sustainable living. Because for them, it is also just living.
What we have now is a world that is very quickly being polluted and depleted simultaneously at an ever increasing rate. I don’t believe in right or wrong, good or bad. I don’t judge, so I am not here to tell anyone what should or should not be done. What I can tell you is that the way humans are living is not only destroying the environment, but it is also destroying the quality of life for humanity itself. THIS is what is very relevant and important. Forget right/wrong, forget judgment, blame etc. The FACT is that the air is polluted, the soil depleted, the clean water scarce and even the ocean, the largest and most stable environment on Earth, is full of pollution and majority of life in it, is dying.
So sustainability is VERY important to me and should be to you, not because of being a “good” person, but for selfish preservation. You don’t need to care about animals or trees to care about sustainability. Sustainability is what will allow a healthier and longer life here on this planet, not to mention a much higher quality of life.
I mean, who does not enjoy breathing fresh clean air? Or looking at an old growth forest while hearing the birds? Or swimming in an ocean that does NOT have petroleum all over the place? Don’t you want to eat rich nutritious food instead of depleted toxic food? Would you not prefer to have free and abundant fresh drinking water, rather than buying expensive packaged (in petroleum of course) filtered water?
I think it’s obvious that the environment is being depleted and polluted. I also think it’s obvious that people actually do enjoy beautiful nature settings, so it’s obvious that sustainability is of great importance, not just for the greater good, but for humanity’s selfish preferences.
So the question now is how do we go about revolutionizing humanity to a sustainable way of life without giving up “happiness”? It’s obvious to me that people as a whole will not live sustainably just to be good citizens, ESPECIALLY if they have to give up or not do the things they think they want to do.
This is also probably a whole multiple article series in and of itself.
I don't feel its to realistic to make the assertion that everyone needs to immediately live totally sustainably right now! Even if this is what I would like to see, or my opinion as to what would be "best".
What I would simply like to do is share some of my perspective on this very important matter and also begin to make suggestions as to simple ways that through thought, and hopefully action too, people can begin to live more sustainable lives while not giving up happiness, but rather in finding greater happiness than ever!
In truth, while sometimes change is difficult or uncomfortable at first I can say without a doubt, that my life is far healthier, more fun and way more fulfilling ever since I embraced a sustainable life of living for the greater good.
Change like this don't work by doing what one "has to do" it only works by doing it because one "wants to do it!" So it is my hope to inspire people to first begin to think sustainably, then experiment with sustainability and then one day to hopefully LIVE sustainably!
I would also like to point out that there are things like solar panels for example that "may" be more sustainable than grid electricity, and so in a sense it is an upgrade. Yet it is NOT sustainable, not even close really. Solar cells only last for a short amount of time, are made in factories of mined materials and shipped around the world. So this is a prime example of how the word "sustainability" gets used, yet in my opinion is not accurate.
Again it is my hope to inspire not discourage and to begin a dialogue with those who are interested in practical and accessible ways to integrate sustainable practices into a life of happiness and well being!
