What is Sustainability?

Since I've started this blog, I've gotten a lot of questions from friends and family. A lot of people don't really understand the concept behind it. So, let me start at the beginning and explain the idea of living sustainably and why it matters.

Although this idea is a bit controversial, the resources that we use for energy are limited. We only have so much oil and gas. Fossil fuels took a really long time to transform from plant and animal matter into the oil we pump into our gas tanks. Our population has increased at an alarming rate since the industrial revolution, and if we are to maintain our current levels and preserve our world for the next generations, then we must live in a way that also preserves our resources.

This isn't to say we must revert back to neolithic times in order to save the planet. In fact, many in the sustainability movement encourage and support technological advancements, particularly the ones that allow us to remain comfortable and happy while doing our part to help make the earth healthier. For example, electric cars, solar panels and trains that run on magnets. It's not about going back in time, it's about moving forward responsibly.

There is a saying “live simply so that others may simply live.” This is the basic tenant of trying to live an Eco-friendly lifestyle. There are people starving all over the world, children in Somalia with arms the size of pencils. There are wars being fought over oil rich territory and innocent people getting shot in front of their families. We don't see these things because we live in the world's most elite country. Even the poorest of our poor are doing better than the poverty stricken in third world countries, because unlike the despotic countries of Africa and South America, we actually have welfare programs. We have churches and philanthropists, shelters and food centers and laws that protect us from killing each other. A lot of people condemn “hippies” and humanitarians. Nobody wants to know that their pleasant way of life is built on a foundation of sorrow and brutality. So, when presented with the harrowing facts of mass genocide, people close their eyes and point fingers at the ones telling them. They call us hypocrites or dreamers.

I don't know about the flower children of the sixties or the transcendentalists of the nineteenth century, I wasn't alive then. What I do know, is that today’s generation embraces technology and good lifestyles. If you have a washer and dryer, then you don't have to spend six hours hanging your clothes out to dry. Today's economy is set up so that the majority of the population can rely on the skills of a few to provide them the products they need and or want. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though it has become abused and taken advantage of. It's a good thing to be able to go to the store and buy hamburger meat and gallons of milk. It's okay that we don't all have to grow our own crops in our backyards to survive. If we still did everything like pioneers and peasants then we would have no free time to think, to improve our hobbies, to invent new technologies or commune with nature. We would be working twenty-four seven just to keep our families alive.

However, I do believe our current system has swung too far in the other direction. It would be better if our washers and dryers ran on solar panels or at least the electricity could come from a local power plant that collects energy from wind turbines and alternative sources. It would be nice if the hamburgers and milk you bought at the store were from local farmers instead of a big corporation. Then maybe Farmer John wouldn't have to sell the land at auction for pennies, the land his great-great grandfather spent a lifetime acquiring.

It's about taking a second to look at society and see the consequences of what you do every day. People line up to vote for the President, despite their votes don't count. Yet, we miss the opportunity to reform our lives every time we make a purchase, every time we cook a meal, every time we interact with one another. These days it's easy to feel hopeless and useless. I don't know about you guys, but the current political climate makes me feel like there's nothing I can do, it's way over my head and out of my hands. This project, this movement is about change. It's about taking that power back with your simple actions. And it really boils down to one basic value, become the change you want to see in the world.

If you don't like the way things are being done on the larger scale, take the time to think about how the same injustices might be happening in your own town, and what you can do to lessen the burden. Become aware, and stop running away from the negativity. It only exists because we allow it to. Believe it or not the power, and the hope for our children really does lie within our hearts and minds. We are a species of intelligence, compassion and love. Let's remember how amazing we are and stop cussing each other out on the road because were in a hurry. Stop trying to get your waiter fired because he forgot your soup. Stop being angry, and stressed out and hateful and embrace your choice to decide how you want to feel. Take charge, and start by smiling at the next stranger you see. Go to the farmer's market next weekend and buy a two dollar peach from the old man. See how much more he appreciates it than Wal Mart. Push for renewable energy and innovative technology so that we can share more with those less fortunate. And most importantly, love yourself and your neighbor, and maybe person by person our world will actually transform into something beautiful.

Thanks for all your support. When I started this blog I thought no one would care about what I had to say. It's nice to know that people really do care, love you guys and hope this post explains it a little bit better. Blessed Be.