" If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up."
-The Dalai Lama
-The Dalai Lama
What is Sustainability?Many people have asked this question, and the truth is that it can be difficult to give a succinct answer. The Brundtland Commission of the United Nations defined sustainable development as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
That's a strong definition and one that is used quite widely, but in practice, trying to be sustainable can be a pretty tricky process. Long-Term ThinkingSociety often teaches us to think in the individual short-term. "How will this decision affect me tomorrow?" we are taught to ask. This question is not explicit, but is implied in many of our individual actions. For example, when you throw something in the garbage, you don't think about where it is going - who would? All that matters is that it's carted off. It's out of your space, out of your life. It's gone, and you don't ever have to see it again. Good riddance. Somebody else is responsible for it now.
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Image Credit - The Rio+20 World Council for Sustainable Development
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Advocates of sustainability think differently. We think in the collective long-term. "How is my decision going to affect all of us 10 years from now?" we ask. Are we making a better world for our children's children's children? What will become of this piece of plastic that I'm throwing in the garbage? Could I have recycled it? Or better yet, not consumed it at all?
This manner of thinking was summed up eloquently by the Iroquois Nation. "In our every deliberation," they said, "we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."
This manner of thinking was summed up eloquently by the Iroquois Nation. "In our every deliberation," they said, "we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."
Image Credit - Wikipedia.org
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The Three PillarsOk, so we think and make plans in the long-term. What should we consider in those plans? Sustainability has three "pillars," which operate like the legs of a stool. Take out one leg, and the whole thing tips over. We cannot consider only one or two pillars - all three must be taken into account if we are truly concerned about sustainability. Environment This is the thing everyone thinks of when they think about sustainability. Companies spend a lot of time and money trying to convince you that what they're doing is good for both you and the environment, so it tends to be the first thing that comes to mind. It doesn't hurt that it's also the most obvious - how can something be sustainable if it destroys the very ecosystem upon which it depends? Therefore, sustainable practices will take the environment into account - what is an acceptable level of impact, and are we below that threshold? Social One must also take society into account. How do our practices affect others on the planet? Does our existence bring health? Peace? Equality? Goodwill? |
Economic
Economic concerns are usually the last thing people associate with sustainability. We are taught the economy and the environment are bitter enemies. Exploiting both people and the environment comes with turning a buck in business - this is the message that is pumped into our heads.
That message couldn't be further from the truth. The reality is that making money is an integral part of sustainability - after all, if you're losing money, you're not going to be in doing what you're doing for very long, which means that you're not sustainable at all.
For individuals, this means that you must be able to provide for yourself and your family. For businesses, this means you must be able to turn a profit.
Economic concerns are usually the last thing people associate with sustainability. We are taught the economy and the environment are bitter enemies. Exploiting both people and the environment comes with turning a buck in business - this is the message that is pumped into our heads.
That message couldn't be further from the truth. The reality is that making money is an integral part of sustainability - after all, if you're losing money, you're not going to be in doing what you're doing for very long, which means that you're not sustainable at all.
For individuals, this means that you must be able to provide for yourself and your family. For businesses, this means you must be able to turn a profit.
Implications for BusinessSince we're a business college organization, we tend to consider the business aspect of everything that we do. What we have found is that business-people in general don't tend to be very concerned with sustainability. Sustainable practices aren't feasible, according to many people around the world, in meeting the growing demands of a consumerist culture. It's really a shame that many business-people think that way, because sustainability really makes a lot of business sense. Like almost everything we've mentioned here, someone else has already explained this better than we can, so we will simply defer you to Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface carpets, and the speech he gave on ted.com in February of 2009. You can view that video to the right. |
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What Can I Do?
No matter who you are, you can make a difference. There are hundreds of things to do, organizations to be involved in, and people to talk to. You can be involved in the movement in whichever way you'd like. The first thing to do is to educate yourself - below, you'll find a whole bunch of links to important websites, ted talks, and introductions to important concepts. Then, if you're a student at Michigan State University, hop on over to our "on campus" page to find ways to get involved here at MSU.
Important Topics and Concepts in Sustainability
GreenwashingGreenwashing is the practice of companies trying really hard to label their products as sustainable or eco-friendly when they aren't. The Canadian group Terrachoice has put together a very informative presentation on greenwashing, which you can view here.
Air and Water PollutionImage Credit - webmd.com
Air and water pollution are huge problems from a sustainability perspective. They degrade the environment and cause many social problems such as health issues. You can read more about air pollution from National Geographic's website here.
The United States government regulates the pollution of air and water with the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, respectively. In developing countries, air and water pollution are often poorly regulated, and the regulations that do exist are often poorly enforced. GMOs, Synthetic Fertilizers, and OrganicsGMOs - or Genetically Modified Organisms - are extremely prevalent in the agriculture of the United States, but virtually nonexistent in Europe and many other developed areas which require labeling of GMOs on grocery store shelves.
The presence of GMOs in the United States is upending the agricultural system as it has existed for hundreds of years. Farmers purchase their seeds from chemical companies such as Monsanto, Dow, and ConAgra, and cannot clean and save them for the following years. These seeds are specifically designed to be used with their synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, which them afflict the surrounding ecosystem with all kinds of problems. This is where we get the organic movement. The USDA has set (admittedly lax) standards for an industry which wishes to produce organic foods. Many companies go above this call and get labels from Non-Governmental Organizations, such as the Organic Crop Improvement Association or CCOF. |
International EffortsObviously, sustainability can't exist in a bubble. The ecosystem of the earth is huge, but all of us are connected and the error of one group of people could mean problems for all. There have been several attempts to get nations to join together in an attempt to combat various global threats. You can read about some of them in the links below:
Global Warming and the Depletion of the Ozone Layer The Kyoto Protocol The Montreal Protocol Rio+20 - The United Nations conference on Global Warming and Climate Change which will take place in June 2012: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio%2B20 Fair Trade MovementFair trade is an attempt to eradicate the exploitation of low-income workers in the supply chain. In a conventional supply chain, workers often work for little pay under terrible working conditions. Buying fair trade certified goods ensures that all farmers and workers receive a living wage and livable working conditions, along with other resources for their families and communities.
Also see Professor Stenzel's website. Alternative EnergyFossil fuels are, by their very nature, unsustainable. You can debate back and forth about peak oil, our oil consumption, and when the planet is going to run out, but nobody's debating the fact that we can't run on oil forever. Oil, coal, and natural gas are all finite resources, and we are consuming them at an unsustainable pace.
That isn't even to mention that they contribute to pollution, global warming, and several disastrous oil spills in the last 20 years or so. All of this information shows us the need for a new way forward, one that contributes less to the global climate crisis and creates our energy in other ways. |