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Sustainability 2.0

I see quite a bit more in the word sustainability from before this class began. Before I saw sustainability as just conserving enough of our resources for the next generation. Now, I don't think is good enough. For something to be sustainable, it must be sustainable for forever. Every generation must have enough resources to. I liked what Zoe said at the beginning of the year. Sustainability must be infinite. Also, I have changed my mind about the word. I thought at the beginning of the semester that it just meant that businesses must be closed loop. I still agree with this. It is important for conservation that businesses and people must conduct their lives in a way that everything used is used again so that this can go on for infinity. However, I now think that respect for the earth must be included in the connotation behind sustainability. This is the only way our lifestyle will ever be sustainable. I don't think this comes to mind when people hear the word sustainability, especially not when it is on products. Sustainability must not leave room for over consumption and right now it does. I still however, think this word is a huge improvement upon other words associated with the environmental movement. With the word sustainablity, you can catch the lie. If a product says it is sustainable but travels thousands of miles, the contrast can be obvious for those who are educated. This is different from products that just simply claim themselves to be green or environmentally friendly. Overall, I think it is a good word for this movement. It can capture in everyone and leave room for the definition needed for the moment.

Sustainability 2.0

How I view sustainability now is similar to the way I did at the beginning of this course but has become much more of a realistic way to live my life. My definition has not really changed except for the fact that I now understand that the word sustainability might be too broad, or maybe its just that there are so many different things that go along with being sustainable one would think it to be too broad. I think that it is a good word to be used if you think about all the different things that are necessary to be considered living in a sustainable manner. Sustainability is a continuos cycle that never ends, it is not something that you simply get to and then stop. I really liked the video we watched about all the different projects that are attempting to copy-cat nature in order to make the world and businesses more sustainable. I also liked Jensen's article about decreasing the negativity and trying to increase positive out looks, I think that instead of looking at it as what am I giving up or loosing it should be more of how am I helping the bigger picture? I have truly enjoyed this class and have learned a lot, in the beginning I was very skeptical and after the life style project I have truly changed my life to more sustainable practices. Thanks everyone for your insights and good luck in life!

sustainability 2

I have to say that after reviewing my first blog, I pretty much still agree with my comments. But after all of our readings, I understand now why I always refrain from using the word sustainable. It without a doubt means something different to everyone. But the word does have its place in the environmental conversation. It is like the backbone to the idea of preserving nature. And for every place, person, plant and creature there is a different way to obtain the balance behind the idea of sustainability. So, the word itself is unavoidable. Maybe we do need to come up with a better word. I don't care much for land health. Perhaps ecologically minded? Whatever the word, there is still a process to achieving it and that is sustainability.

Sustainability endgame

So, here we are, at the end of things, and it has been a fun trip. Seeing how the term sustainability has changed for different people has proven what is good about the word, that is, once established as a value, becomes more than a dictionary-definable word. This is where it differs from Environment, as it is more flexible and related to lifestyle, and Green, which is a trendy label that may or may not fall by the wayside, or worse, breed a negative reaction. For some, it is a career choice, something that will be an umbrella term concerning the industry they work in. For some, it is an education issue, where their greatest interest is in spreading the gospel of green, and hopefully without alienating the pagans that we want to convert. For everyone, it is a lens through which we check ourselves, trying to improve, and lessen our impact on the earth we tread. Even for people whose careers will not be remotely related to the sustainability, the lens will be there, and, when asked to contribute, these people will take sustainability into consideration. This, in and of itself, will be a great deal better than previous generations. I do not believe that we, in our generation, will even closely achieve sustainability, but if anything has been shown by our study of history, it took us since Industrialization to create this mess, and it won't be fixed by any quick cure-all. It takes generational change, and future generations can't get further if we don't start the trip for them. So, while a classroom journey has ended, the book is about to be ours to write, and let's write it well, so that when we've done our best to save the world, we've saved it not for ourselves, but for others. I just, and yes, I am this much of a nerd, thought of Frodo giving Samwise the book at the end of the Trilogy and saying, "the Shire has been saved. But not for me." Isn't that a wholly sustainable attitude?

Re-evaluating Sustainability

My idea of sustainability has evolved. I don't want to say that it has changed, because I believe that part of what I said initially is true. I still believe that sustainability refers to being able to support all living things with one earth, but now I just have more to add to my definition. Sustainability is not a blanket term that can be applied like a cookie-cutter. After taking this class I believe that part of the reason the word is so impactful is because it can be altered based on different cultures, while still maintaining an implied goal to those different cultures. I think we really touched on this idea in one of our last classes, because we all got to discuss what sustainability meant to us and what the advantages and disadvantages were of having such diverse definitions.

Ok, so to add to what I started the class with, I think sustainability is putting an awareness into practice. An example would be being aware of conservation and more environmentally friendly options, but not discarding what you already have for the choice that makes you feel better. We talked about this in class, is it really any better to buy a 'green' cleaning product to replace an older one without using it entirely? Probably not. Being aware of the impact you have on the environment, the lives of living things around you, and the future environments (and consequently lives) of living things is extremely important, but it is only the first step. Taking what you have learned and what you are aware of and actually using it to change the way in which you live is what is more important. In the article "Two Meanings of Sustainability," Lester Brown, Christopher Flavin, and Sandra Postel say it best. To them, "A sustainable society is one that satisfies its needs without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations." The key word that is left out of this phrase is "want." Sustainability is not about materially satisfying our wants, but about satisfying our needs. In our consumerist society, I think we often confuse the two things. We are beginning to think that we need more and more items that we would survive quite sufficiently without.

I think that sustainability is better understood as a goal and a cycle rather than a word with one specific definition. We have so much stuff that we don't even know what to do with it all. Also, as evidenced in the "Stuff" book, we do not even pay attention to where things come from and how much effort is put forth in order to bring it to us. I think it would be truly amazing if we could overlook our wants and just focus on our needs. If we did that, maybe we would not only become sustainable, but have more time for the people around us and would be more appreciative of what we have.

I really enjoyed taking this class and all of our readings/discussions. I wish everyone the best of luck with figuring out how to make others more aware of the goals of sustainability and to put that awareness into action! :)

Remember the Idea

In my first definition of sustainability, I said it was the ability to preserve the world, the environment and the life in it. I think this is what sustainability should be, but isn’t always interpreted as. Sustainability has come to replace previous vague words like environmental, green, and organic to name a few. The problem with all of these words is the people interpreting them, the people who are going to ignore the intended connotation of the word in an effort to be labeled “green” or “sustainable” or whatever the word may be because that implies to everyone else that you are better than the competition. What I mean is that greedy people look for loopholes. For example, some juice companies will advertise their juice as “organic from concentrate” or “organic flavoring” but what do those phrases even mean anymore? I can’t imagine that organic flavoring is any better than regular flavoring.

The word “organic” no longer has very much weight because it has been interpreted and reinterpreted to fit various money-making schemes. Similarly, “green” has lost its connotative meaning just as “sustainable” will likely lose its power. Sustainable literally just means the ability to sustain. The “what” must be added. To sustain life? To sustain the environment? Those ideas are intended to be implied but they might be lost as the market tries to manipulate “sustainable” products.

In general, the vast amount of things sustainability can be applied to (like the 12+ types of sustainability named by Curran) makes using the word “sustainability” both a vice and a virtue. It’s nice because it can be applied to any situation. It’s bad because it can be misinterpreted, misleading, or manipulated. I think “sustainable” is better left as an adjective as Newton and Frefogle suggested. The reason it is so vague is because it is intended as a modifier – it requires the “what” as I said before.

I hate criticizing something without offering a solution, but frankly I don’t know what kind of word would perfectly encompass all of these new ideas about the environment. Maybe that word doesn’t exist yet. Maybe we don’t have one word to recall every subject Curran brought up, but the most important point is to remember those ideas regardless. We must hold on to the meaning – focus not on the dictionary or technical definitions, but rather on the idea, the lifestyle, and the movement behind sustainability and whatever new words we may begin to use in the future. “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.” (JFK)

What is sustainability?

I feel the more you learn about the various meaning that have been attributed to the word sustainability the more I realize that the inadequacy of any word to contain so much content. I came in with my own idea of what the word meant, but I discovered so many layers, both of ideas attached to the word and of complexity of to what I already thought I knew. I feel the basis of sustainability is understanding that everything is connected. Everything that we do affects someone or something else, both here in the present and in the future. Understanding the breadth of our actions means that we must be mindful of the things we do, trying our best to leave others at peace whenever possible. And the term others I feel also must take on a broader meaning when used in regards to sustainability. Others means the boy next door, the tree in your backyard, the lake you visited as a kid, and the people who make your clothes. While fully understanding the intricacies of our connection to the world is impossible, sustainability is a promise to seek these connections out and insure that what we do does not harm others.

"Sustainability and me"

Now that this class has ended, I definitely have even more questions about sustainability than when I originally started. Is it enough to have my own personal understanding of what this term means? Or is it necessary to take it further and have clearer, more universal guidelines about what sustainability should and should not entail? Such questions usually lead me to more questions and sometimes I long for some cold hard facts. However, I wonder if the definition is out there waiting for me to "discover" it in the first place. While I believe it is important to ground the movement for sustainability in tangible ideas and plans, I also think it is important to remember that such issues are not static. The earth is continually moving and changing – I believe that our attempts to live harmoniously together must also be ever adapting and growing. As we talked about in class, is sustainability a final destination or is it an ongoing expedition?

Issues of “sustainability” pertain to everything around me – after all, there doesn’t seem much point to anything else if I cannot live and breathe in the world that I have helped create. As Derrick Jensen says, “If you have no planet, nobody can ask questions.” So how do we humans address such a broad, all-encompassing matter? Sustainability is not just an “environmental” issue – it concerns matters from animal welfare and economics to social justice and human rights. For developed, industrialized countries such as the United States, I do not think that sustainability is about prolonging our current standards of living for as long as possible - we are going to have to find a new way to live more equitably. However, what would that look like? Imagining that future can be rather bleak and scary – I know that I have grown rather accustomed to the many luxuries that my country provides. However, as illustrated by The Story of Stuff, such amenities come at a hefty price. The richer developed world may not be paying as dearly for our actions yet, but the environment and poorer developing countries are already bearing the brunt of such choices. I do not think we have the luxury to tiptoe around these issues - we can no longer afford for issues of sustainability to be divisive or ignored.

At times, the weight and breadth of these issues can be very intimidating and confusing. However, the longer the world waits, the more nebulous our future seems to get. Our little actions certainly add up - we have to start somewhere. But I think that "sustainability" demands more from us - it requires actions that reach farther than our individual lives. Our personal changes are certainly a step in the right direction, but I don’t think it can stop there. World-wide discussion of our species' role as responsible and compassionate stewards of the Earth *is* growing – a fact that heartens and motivates me. I want to believe that the world is starting to see how sustainability is an issue that concerns us all – an aspect that I hope can give it a strong, unifying power.

In conclusion, I liked the idea of sustainability being more of a verb than a noun. Not something to mostly just talk about, but something that we do. I think that the issues we face today are some of the greatest challenges ever to our creativity as a species – how can we look past the linear way so many things are done to fashion a new, cyclical, and “sustainable” way of living?

Sustainability?

I unwittingly assumed that I would have a better understanding of the definition of sustainability after this class, but the more I know the less able I seem to be to define it. A catch-all term, sustainability is used by environmentalists, corporations, and governments to mean a variety of different things. These definitions often contradict one another, but everyone is kept happy by the word because they can use the definition which they like the most. In the Curren article, ten different types of sustainability are outlined, each with a modifying adjective that would seem to dictate the definition more so than the word it modifies.

Because it is so amorphous everyone has their own definition of sustainability, and so attempting to take into account all I’ve learned here is my best personal definition of sustainability. When I think of sustainability “reduce, reuse, recycle” still comes to mind immediately. But this is simply a way of life incorporating a mindset of sustainability. Sustainability is a much broader word, including not only a path and way of life, but also a goal. Even the goal of sustainability is somewhat amorphous. This goal is a continuous goal as one must continue the practices used to “achieve” this goal once it is reached. But I do feel like sustainability can be a goal, just one that continues to compound each time it is reached. As Zoë mentioned in her first blog, infinity is a fitting symbol when describing sustainability. Basically, to be truly sustainable, a process must be able continue infinitely. But then when describing sustainability in the world at this point, we cannot call anything truly sustainable. We would like to put all our hopes on technology, but even this has a cost. Thus, this definition of sustainability is a bit unrealistic and idealistic in practice. Yet, we do need something to aspire to and the cyclical feel of infinity is perfection. To me, the word sustainability will never include being one with the land. This is probably because I have been influenced by traditional views of sustainability and the way in which past and present governments define it. We can and should base models off of nature’s perfectly cyclical processes while trying to live more in harmony with the land, but as much as I wish sustainability could include that oneness with the land I do not feel like it does right now. That is one of the problems with the word sustainability, although to some people it does mean achieving a better state with the environment we are a part of, to most, sustainability is almost solely focused on humans and looks at the environment as a place of resources- renewable and nonrenewable. Due to this fact we may never reach the full meaning of the word sustainability because without that appreciation and connection to the Earth we will not be able to connect all the dots. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe there is hope for humanity and this beautiful Earth which we live on. But I also think it will take a lot for us to change, and I worry that if the bar is set too high people will feel as though it is unattainable and thus not worth attempting to achieve. Then we will never reach our goal of “sustainability” (however you define it).

Home

The word "sustainability" now rests with me as a quality of a closed system, independent to and dependent upon itself, which allows it to continue to exist for an infinite amount of itme. In our world, that system is planet Earth. The processes and functions of nature have been fine-tuned by time so to produce no waste, and completely recycle its self in a way that will enalbe it to continue forever, should the blaance be kept. The great efficiency of nature is evident with the study of Biomimicry. This revolves around attempting to copy the abilities and designs of organisms in nature to produce more effiicient machine--even the most recent science is coming back toward the perfecction of nature, the thing we are abusing!

In Society, many people push for sustainability and attempt practices that are "more sustainable." In reality, these people are attempting to grasp an intangible object. Sustainability's role in society has become a view where it has almost become a finish line--once it is reached people can stop running the race. In contrast to the thought of many, it is actually a state of mind that will probably be brought on when humanity is knocking at death's door. This mentality would dicates one's behaviors to things such as recycling anything used back through natural process of the Earth, while not harming the planet in any way. If humans are to reach this state, keeping the average American's lifestyle today would be impossible with the amount of waste and consumpton that goes on. One would probably even have to go to the extent of submerging them self completely into nature and "living off the land," but wouldn't it be kind of cool if everyone did that? I know I don't want to pay taxes and work all day!

If the Lifestyle Project and other student's activism projects showed me one thing about being sustainable other than it being a lifestyle, it is that in order to be more sustainable, one must also develop a more intimate relationship with your surroundings. This means going outside for natural light instead of using electrical lights indoors, or spending time with the people in your building in place of spending time with your television. Sustainability will certainly not be impossible, but will not be easy either, and will require the commitment of everyone to accept change in the sake of something bigger than themselves. When humanity cannot continue any longer and everything we rely on is gone, we will need to either form together or we will fall apart.

"Only when the last tree has been cut, the last river is polluted, and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money." -Native American Cree proverb

Sustainability is...

hard to define. It lacks a solid meaning beyond the idea that it is about meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Furthermore, the fact that it is “an adjective dressed up as a noun” (Newton and Freyfogle) reflects the misconception of what sustainability really means. Rather than sustainability being the goal that should be reached in the future, it is the ongoing method of how to reach that goal. However, the question of what is being sustained and who is doing the sustaining still remains unclear (Newton and Freyfogle).

Sustainability needs to continue and improve its development from a local all the way up to a global perspective requiring us to have a more efficient integration between our society, environment, and economy. As individuals, we need to become more aware of our consumption and waste, especially when “14% of our food is wasted,” (Pollan) and continue doing our part as our small actions do make a difference, although it’s a fact major changes will only be achieved through policy. Unfortunately, it is our industries and economy that are failing to undertake sustainable practices given that they have the largest impact on our own ability to become sustainable individuals. With a large percentage of our food products containing corn syrup from inedible corn (King Corn), the need for 600 gallons of water to create a single hamburger patty (Ryan), and the fact that the cost of an aluminum soda can costs more than the soda inside (Ryan) emphasize the need for these changes to occur.

Sustainability is greatly being affected by our consumption patterns. Creating a culture where material items are crucial for our daily needs, we use resources from every corner of the globe and make them travel great distances. Sustainable practices not only support ideas of using local products and using them to their full potential, but ultimately in reducing the amount of stuff we buy.

If sustainability would become an integral part of every individual there would be more public awareness and support to demand better lifestyles. As we saw in our own Lifestyle Project results and those of our classmates, sustainability has the power to encourage others to be more aware of their actions and instill the desire for new goals and better habits.

sustainability v2.0

Reflecting on my first post about sustainability, I now think I have the knowledge to expand on the concept in a more purposeful way. Sustainability is more than just an ethic. In order to be truly effective, sustainability has to be a means of existence.

Originally, I wrote that sustainability was about respect: to the planet, to others, and to future generations. That was all well and good, but respect is not enough. I respect my mother, but I don't always do everything she asks of me. It takes planning, commitment, and sacrifice. Sacrifice is the key ingredient, and thus the biggest barrier to true, worldwide sustainability because the average American consumer does not understand anything but consumption. It's consume, consume, consume versus reduce, reuse, recycle. In this regard, sustainability can move from the bottom-up, beginning with consumer ethics. But it must be strong, and there must be sacrifice in order for the "movement" to stick.

I also took a course called "Environmental Economics" this semester, and although it seems like an oxymoron, it really helped clarify what it means to be sustainable. The class also taught me about the limitations of our current systems (food, energy, everything) and the government in taking proper action toward environmental issues. Agricultural subsidies, capitalism, oil, everything promotes the ethic of "more is better." Again, this echoes back to the necessity of sustainable existence, and reformation of the broken system to include sustainable ideals and environmental incentives is how sustainability can move from the top-down, beginning with policy.

This post may seem like a bit of a rant, and it might actually be one. But please read it carefully, because I believe I've pointed out some of the things that environmental studies often misses: the economic side. It's all about incentives, and if you don't make it worth their while, the big producers will never listen. It's a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless. Supply and demand are two sides of the same flawed coin.  The world needs a change of currency, a change in the value system. That's how sustainability (or whatever we call it next) can happen.

Here's a side note that I think you all will enjoy. About two years ago I stumbled across something called the "100 Thing Challenge", in which you essentially pair down your belongings until you reach 100, then live with 100 things or less for a year. The man behind this movement, Dave, found it quite liberating to not be consumed by his material things. After reading many of his posts, I also decided to take the challenge. I haven't been able to reach 100 quite yet, but I think I have approximately 136 things right now. In my opinion, this challenge can be especially relevant to college students, since we don't necessarily have a permanent place to stay. Having fewer things has made my life easier, simpler, and a lot more flexible because my possessions aren't keeping me glued to the ground. I'll provide the link, and I seriously challenge you all to give it a shot. It sounds extreme, but it's actually very fun, and not as difficult as you'd think. If we are to truly live sustainably, we must first learn to live without stuff.

Or http://www.guynameddave.com/100-thing-challenge.html, in case the image link doesn't work.

I've enjoyed taking this class with people who have different opinions about sustainability. It's refreshing, and I've learned quite a bit. See you all in Sustainability 201.

Here we go again

The first go at this I wanted to look at one very specific part of sustainability, reusability. Just as I’ve switched from “Global Warming,” to “Global Climate Instability,” I want to switch from using the word “Sustainability,” to... something else. Sustainability is a process of renewal that perpetuates itself. It is a adverb that has been nouned, and I think that it’s a good encompassing goal for now, but it still lacks the spiritual component of a total lifestyle change that is required to live a more balanced life. Ultimately Sustainability and my intensive discussion of Environmentalism over the past semester has lead me to a distinct conclusion: That one critical part of establishing an effective understanding of the land goes beyond that of passive participation in living on the earth, but active understanding and recognition of your place on it. In our post-industrial lives we live in streams of human information, awash in a see of people and cultures, but we often lack a connection to land itself. Without that component our view is unhinged and we are more ready to exploit the earth for it’s resources. So what is Sustainability?

Ultimately what I believe Sustainability aims to be is an alternate future. As it has been co-opted by neo-liberal/conservative voices it is simply one more aspect of the development of resource, however Sustainability at its core acts as a separate strand of thinking altogether. Now I believe Sustainability to be more than just another lifestyle that compares to products, but a real coalescing thing. One aspect that is far from discussed is the spiritual aspect that is required of it. This is a part of the environmental movement that focuses on individuals building closer relationships with the land itself. Not only enacting stewardship, but also creating a bond between people and land itself. It is this spiritual connection which is implicit in our occasional use of the word, but not an explicit goal of the word itself. So how do we inject this added layer of meaning to an oft used word? I don’t believe we can, and that is part of the reason I still wish to change it. As sustainability becomes more and more a brand and is co-oped by neo-liberal/conservative voices the more we find it hijacked. I don’t want to see this movement, like so many others converted into a commoditized brand before it can ever be affective, especially given its importance. So - what is sustainability?

Sustainability is not only the process of creating a self sustaining system which recycles wastes into creation, but also the development of societies which maintain and exalt these systems. It is achieving a relationship between man and nature as well as man to man that fosters a stable future.

Sustainability 2.0

This class has made me aware of the elasticity of the word "sustainability." I'm still somewhat unsure as how to exactly define it, but I feel as if a series of examples or circumstances help one to understand it best. For instance, will fossil fuels still be available as a source of energy a hundred years from now? Will people still know of all the plants and animals we know of today? Jensen's articles really helped me to understand the concept of sustainability. He states that it is a consequence of many aspects of our culture, mainly industrial expansion. As well, people in the future are not going to care if we "tried" to make things better. They will only care that they have water to drink and air to breathe. Thus, are our individual efforts causing any sense of change at all? This is the question that I still wonder. I think that the action of living sustainable is a definitely a step in the right direction. Living in this manner educates others, which can eventually lead to a snowball effect. If these habits reach leaders who control industrial processes, changes can be made to mitigate a large source of the problem. In essence, the basis of sustainability is stretching out our available resources throughout time so that they may be utilized for as long as possible.

Sustainability: Take 2

My thoughts on sustainability are ever changing, the more I learn about it the more I understand just how complex it really is. This class has really opened my eyes to not only other people’s actions, but my own actions. I know I have a lot more to learn about sustainability, but I have grown to really appreciate learning about it during this short class. Recently, I have met a lot of resistance toward the idea of sustainability or the idea of living responsibly from other people; which has made me want to become even more knowledgeable about this subject. I have learned through this, that maybe showing through example is quite possibly stronger than we think. Showing through example sparks a light in other people’s eyes; it allows them to question and want to learn more, but on their own terms. As Mary Anne Curran states in, Wrapping our Brains around Sustainability, “Sustainability is a destination that we aspire to reach with the selection of the sustainable pathways that we choose as we proceed along the journey” (6). Sustainability really is a journey, but not necessarily of right and wrong, but a journey of awareness, of the environment, of one’s self, and of one’s community. These different pathways that can be taken may vary for different people, but I do think that like Derrick Jensen states in Forget Shorter Showers, we need to remember “That humans can help the Earth as well as harm it”. Through sustainability, we should be able to meet our needs as humans, but without taking away the ability for future generations to live and succeed and without taking away the ability for other life forms to live and succeed.

Sustainability 2.0

The concept of sustainability is not just a mindset or way of protecting the environment, but a way of life that serves a number of arenas.  The social justice aspect of sustainability is something that really sticks out to me as an important element of the cause for a better earth.  Communities, and not just human communities, need to prosper in harmony with the land available to them.  When one country has a number of unsustainable practices which harm a third world country that has little negative environmental footprint for the benefit of the wealthier nation, an imbalance occurs that is just as bad as any economic, educational, or health imbalance between the two countries.  The fact that sustainability, a lifestyle of living in harmony with nature, can bring so many social justice issues to the table greatly raises the significance of the term.  I was reading a blog this morning on CNN.com about the Copenhagen climate conference, and I was appalled at how ignorant and backwards-thinking many (at least half of the responses) were.  The basic science is there, and the ignorance and denial that is so evident in the American public for the sake of protecting a wasteful way of life is astounding.  Environmentalists simply saying "down with capitalism" will not solve anything.  America is centered on capitalism.  We have to work with the system already in place to achieve any kind of solution that will bring a nation together.  This goes back to the concept of culturally adaptable versions of sustainability.  I think many Americans would be surprised how little their standard of living has to diminish to achieve a respectable level of sustainability, a level that doesn't achieve its success at the expense of another nation.  We need to re-evaluate the ways in which our consumption patterns relate the the natural world.  While the global economy is important in todays world on a number of levels and will remain intact, a shift to a MORE local economy is possible if we re-think our relationship with the local ecosystem and the resources available.  The blueprints for sustainable models of cities are available.  America just needs the incentives and trust from the public to embrace those models.  If we can fully accept the fact that the earth is all we have to fight for, we can start to embrace some of the sustainable practices that come about from accepting cultural differences and working in harmony with the local ecosystem.  Nothing would exist without it!  A healthy earth=healthy people.  

Sustainability 2.0

Through this class I can now proudly say that I am more aware of what sustainability is or what it means to be sustainable, and would gladly share my knowledge with anyone that might care to listen. Sustainability is a multi-faceted word. It’s meaning can hardly be confined within the boundaries of plurality. According to some, like Orr, sustainability has two basic parts: “technological and ecological”. He views technological sustainability as a means through which humankind can solve the environmental dilemmas at hand and ecological sustainability as a way of discovering what habits or actions got the us into these environmental dilemmas in the first place. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, however, speaks of “sustainable development”, which is that “humanity has the ability to make development sustainable—to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. And the list goes on and on! Many individuals, including some in our class, perceive this multi-definitiveness of “sustainability” as preventative of an overall understanding of the word. I do not agree with this. The fact that “sustainability” has so many different meanings gives it flexibility. In society, flexibility has always been proven as an efficient way of preserving a cause or movement because it allows the individual application on a personal level. For example, it seems that environmentally friendly clothing and apparel are all the rage these days. Some people buy wallets made out of recycling because they want to save the world, others buy them simply because they look cool. In the end, it doesn’t matter why they bought the wallet because either way they are supporting the recycling movement. Applying this concept to the word “sustainability”, it doesn’t matter how one interprets the word, if they are paying attention to the movement, the word has achieved it’s purpose. Because “sustainability” has so many applications, it can be seen as a gateway word. Use of this word might cause individuals to inquire more about the environmental movement. Therefore, sustainability is a word with many meanings lending it flexibility to interpretation and, as a result, greater awareness and acceptance of the environmental movement as a whole.