What+is+Sustainability

**What is sustainability to you? We are interested in hearing your thoughts.

Matt Brown - Grade 7/8 Teacher ** I want to live in a sustainable world. Viable environmental sustainability, in any realistic sense, wrestles for a sense of balance when considered alongside other disciplines and the implied social values that underlie them. This need for balance is not always immediately recognizable. We are living in a culture of excess. In many common instances, we believe that anything in excess is harmful. When one indulges excessively in alcohol consumption, we call them an alcoholic. Likewise, when one eats excessively, and takes on the usual effect of over-eating, we call them obese. Conversely, when one has an excessive amount of possessions, acquired as a direct result of their applied purchasing power, we call them successful. In this sense, excessive consumerism provides the exception to the rule. Western society views excessive consumerism as an economic panacea. An illustration of this belief occurred in the aftermath of 9-11, when President Bush urged the American people to go out and spend. Amid all of the important lessons of 9-11, does this represent a balanced viewpoint? Consumerism is the fuel of a market economy. Without it, markets fail. This is the current reality. I suggest that the current economic model has generated the crisis we now read about and experience because it has not paid enough attention to the importance of sustainability brought about by practicing balance between “want” and “need”. In order to encourage spending, the market economy model conditions us to lean heavily on “wants” that are disguised as “needs”. In this way, we become participants in the creation of an unsustainable economic environment and ultimately, an unsustainable lifestyle So why do we continue to live unsustainably? Because we are all seeking wellbeing! Unfortunately, most of us are unsure of what wellbeing really is and how it can be realized. Merriam Webster offers this definition of wellbeing: Wellbeing: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wellbeing The state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous : [|welfare] Consumerism is often used as a vehicle to achieve happiness, good health and prosperity. We should pursue the state of being happy, healthy and prosperous without having a negative impact on ourselves, one another…our world. We all value happiness, health and prosperity – but we must re-evaluate how these three factors are achieved in our lives. Can someone be happy at the expense of someone/something else? From an individualistic perspective, the answer is yes – and from a holistic perspective, the answer is no. Unfortunately, we often achieve “wellness” by seeking happiness from an individualistic standpoint. The message behind this is not to stop acquiring things we want. Instead, we should acquire some of these things, while leaving others behind – find a balance. Until the industry begins to use more sustainable methods of production and design products that have minimal ecological impact, it is not responsible to continue living the way we do. By changing the way we live and sending a clear message about the need for sustainable processes and products, the industry will be forced to change.