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.