Green Options

What is sustainability? It is, in one sense, leaving the world in the same condition as it was when we arrived in it. This is a fairly common definition of the word: “the property of [being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment]” (Dictionary.com); “forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development).

Nonetheless, something is missing here. This is the practical component of sustainability. As we all know, practicing sustainability is the difficult part. The definitions above are all the end result of sustainability. They are the goal. But the practice of sustainability is part of the word as well, not only the result.

If we delve into sustainability theory, we immediately find the sustainability triangle — economy, environment, and equity. It is the appropriate balance of these that many people say is the “practice” of sustainabilty.

This world is founded on some basic laws, including cause and effect. Every action has a reaction. Every cause has an effect. And we may think that we’re all separate beings in this world, separate beings and entities. But in reality, we are all connected, we are all intertwined, and we are all One. And thus it follows, for everything we do, it has an effect not only on us, but on everyone else and everything else around us and even beyond.

So, we are tackling the problem of environmental fragility today. And how did we get to this place? How did we get to this situation?

Of course, there are a lot of scientific explanations, political explanations, systematic explanations, and so on.

But how did we get here, really?

By every action ever made — by us, by others, and by all of us combined.

By every thought.

By every feeling and every want or need in our hearts and expressed in our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

We can see that no matter how hard we try, we will fail to address the problems we face today if we don’t address our own personal sustainability and situation. What do I mean by personal sustainability?