What is Sustainability?
Great question! We’re going to dive into the term sustainability and how you can apply sustainable values into your daily life.
The Definition of “Sustainability”
According to the Oxford Dictionary, sustainability’s definition is “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.” Or if you want to see the definition with an environmental twist, the definition is “avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.”.
So how does that get broken down even further?
Sustainability consists of fulfilling the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations while also ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental care and social well-being. Basically, we can break down the concept of sustainability into 3 main pillars: economic, environmental, and societal.
3 Pillars of Sustainability
Economic
When it comes to discussing sustainability in an economic sense, you have to look at it from a perspective of the global economy. How can we ensure that businesses are able to continue growing to create reliable jobs for communities? What can we do to have successful companies without sacrificing important things like labor welfare or environmental impact?
Examples
Advocating for recycling programs that can increase the value of materials.
Creating funds that support the growth of sustainability minded start-ups.
Attending your local farmer’s market.
Environmental
Now this is the main pillar many people think about when we discuss sustainability, but in reality it is just one piece of a larger picture. Sustainability is the essence of reducing our waste, carbon footprint, etc. and focusing our energy to regenerative practices so future generations get to enjoy the planet in the same way we do.
Examples
Reducing your consumption of single use plastic items, like plastic grocery bags, and opting for reusable options.
Hosting community trash clean ups to ensure community spaces are litter free.
Supporting state and federal parks to keep their doors open and experience nature.
Societial
Social sustainability is largely the idea that in order for more people to join the environmentalism movement, there needs to be education. This would include healthcare support, education, learning opportunities, employment, security, safety, and economic accommodation. Without these, communities would not have the resources to create sustainable societies (i.e. towns, cities, etc.).
Examples
Spreading awareness of recycling best practices.
Hosting educational classes on how to compost.
Fair labor practices in factories and warehouses.
That’s just the basics of sustainability…
And the tip of the iceberg. As you continue learning about the sustainability space, you’ll notice there is so much more to be discovered! From reducing food waste to coral restoration the sustainability industry is valuable for individuals and companies who care about the well-being of the Earth and it’s people.
