What is Sustainability and how have we come?

What is “Sustainability”? For most, we have an idea of what sustainability is. Using solar panels to harvest the suns rays for energy, driving electric cars, and recycling. The books defines its as “ a system or process that are able to operate and persist on their own over long periods of time.” (Robertson. P. 3) This is fine all and good but how do we get there. The way we as country and we as a global community have established ourselves it to use the resources that we have on the earth.

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We could not have cars today if it weren’t for the discovery of oil and the properties that allow it to combust. Anything that uses electricity, we would not have if it weren’t for the discovery of electricity and the burning of coil to have it. These are a few things that natural resources we have on this planet, allowed us to create and pioneer.

The world is burning record amounts of oil, polluting our air from carbon emission and many other factors because we set it up that way. It reminds me of the saying my mother always said “It is the way it is, because we set it up that way.”

In the last decade we have noticed how these advancements have caused extremely effects to the earth. We as individuals, companies, and as a country needed to find solutions to change the way we conducted our everyday life.

The book mentioned being “green” and how its not the same as sustainable.  Which I agree with but the book when on to say:

 “Being green is not the same things as being sustainable. Greenness is a positive step, but not the ultimate goal. While actions such as recycling and using less toxic products are important, focusing only on being less bad by depleting irreplaceable capital more slowly is till not sustainable. “ (Robertson, p. 5)

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That may be true but once again it takes time. We have been doing the same thing for hundreds of years. Its going to take more than a piece of legislation and 5 years to cause change. Being green was a great start and way to start the conversation. Now we need to create and develop sustainable way to run those innovations that have set us apart. 

Through the evolution of time, greenness and sustainability has become an important issue. In the 1970’s legislation started to form and be turned into law. During this time a measuring unit was developed called the Ecological Footprint. “IT was a measuring unit that measured human impact and comparing it with the biophysical world’s carrying capacity. “ (Robertson, p. 19)

The ecological footprint was developed by two scholars at the University of British Colombia. Today ecological footprint is used to see how much of an impact our actions have on our earth.  

                                                                                      Photo by Adam D. Reiter

Education/Working As Agents For Change

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Being an agent of change can have many different effects, both good and bad. Millennials are polar opposites from each other; some care and understand what is happening to the environment. Others have no clue and do not care. 

"You know your own zip code, but do you know what watershed you living? You can probably identity hundreds of corporate logos and brands, but can only identify ten kinds of plants and animals that are natural to your bioregion.” (Robertson, p. 303)

The above quote speaks the half that has no clue regarding the planet and the eco system they are involved in. They only care about the surface issues. Little do they know it a system that works together that is being strained.

“At all ages, learning by doing is an essential part of education”. (Robertson, p. 303)

Photo By Adam D. Reiter

Knowing myself and that I am an hands on kind of learner I believe this class to be a great opportunity to have some one on one experiences.

By having a better understanding of our planet we can better understand how we can be better agents of change. Plus we can focus on areas we have passions in. Not to be cliché, some people love rain forests and want to see them preserved. While others have a love for animals and want to fight for the lives of the endangered Florida Panthers. By having those experiences mixed with everyone’s individual passion, we are unstoppable agents of change. We all want to put our own mark on the world. Rather than marking it permanently, work with the world and the resources to be respectful and your mark with last a lifetime.

“Individual actions are a good place to start, but are capable of only small impacts, to have significant impacts, requires people working together”. (Robertson, p.312)

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This quote reminds me of a principle that I learned in Hospitality Human Resources. As a manager if you want to have your staff be friendlier, find ten people and smile to them. Take those 10 people and have them 10 more people. Then have those 100 find 10 people. By the end you have reached out to 1,000 in a day. That’s the power of multiplication.

         The same principal, can  apply to people wanting to make a difference in the world. One small act can multiple and change a generation. It is an effort that has an eternal effect.