Sustainability, as both a word and the practice, is often viewed as a trend. While the growing awareness of the need to become more sustainable as a society may be a trending topic, the execution of the deed is anything but. Only a few generations ago did sustainability go by different terminology; a way of life. Somehow, during the shift to the current resource based economy, the idea of only using what you need as well as only having what you need was lost in the tremendous progress of human ingenuity. This ingenuity, coupled with mass production, became both celebrated as a measurement of our success and a reflection of our shifting values. Convenience became king while consumer goods became status symbols. Most of us grew up during a time of technological prosperity. It seems like only yesterday we were playing Oregon Trail on the school librarys computers, right? Now youre probably reading this on your phone which is 1/10th the size of Zach Morris. The point is, we grew up thinking that there would be no consequence to our prosperity. Every new gadget or product upgrade or favorite vegetable flown to our grocery stores from Peru is moving us further from sustainability as a way of life and holding it hostage as a buzzword. Meanwhile, the reality is that we all probably practice sustainability in some sense of the word. Those with the power to create buzzwords label these actions trendy as a way to deter others from realizing their individual potential in doing the same. This is done by giving the pursuit of sustainability a vaguely negative connotation. Its important to note that those with the power to create buzzwords and labels often work for those who profit from our prosperity through convenience. What better way for that cohort to stifle those who use their individual attitudes and actions to merely mutter, we cant keep living like this than to label and marginalize our attitudes and actions? First step: create perception, second step: constantly reinforce perception. The thing is, I know a lot of you have been using your own ingenuity and drawing inspiration from others to create your own (more) sustainable practices. For example, how many of you have your own gardens or shop at thrift stores or buy refurbished technology to meet your needs? In this ingenuity is power and that power is ours! We should celebrate it and educate with it and own it completely. Stop muttering your disapproval and scream we cant keep living like this! So, please, share with me, and everyone, what it is you do to live sustainably. Lets share our real prosperity and strive to inspire. Lets make their labels meaningless! Most of all, lets be ready to learn. Please share... What is your way of life?
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:29:07 +0000
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