Living Sustainably Implies:
Sustainability is the act of living sustainably, at an individual level and as a society. The general idea is that our actions cannot jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A down-to-earth definition is offered in the Native American advice that we must always take into account the affects of our actions on the next seven generations.
To live a sustainable lifestyle, one must always try to be aware of the consequences of their actions since they are but a part of an interdependent web. If an activity is sustainable, it can go on forever without compromising the ability of future generations to lead a quality life. Since the act of determining if an act is sustainable is always based on the information at hand, we must continually reevaluate our actions.
When applied to all the actions of our lives, the term sustainability gives form to labels such as sustainable agriculture, sustainable economics, sustainable energy, sustainable transportation, etc. It also gives rise to some confusing oxymorons such as "sustainable growth" and "sustainable use."
There is no such thing as "sustainable growth." It is a contradiction in terms: nothing can grow indefinitely. "Sustainable use" is also commonly misapplied. It can refer only to renewable resources with the stipulation that they are used at rates that they can renew themselves (This is why fossil fuels, although originally a solar-generated resource, are not considered renewable because of their extremely long rate of renewal and other precise conditions required).
The phrase "sustainable development" also seems like an oxymoron and in most cases is. It only makes sense if the principles of sustainability are applied, meaning that all of the subsystems (housing, transportation, food production, etc.) would be sustainable.
Business has entered into a new phase in which sustainable business performance is regarded as:
- A global competitive advantage
- A catalyst for innovation
- A way to capture new market and financing opportunities
Consumers are the primary reason businessess have changed their opinions because they are beginning to demand with increasing frequency that goods and services be produced by socially and environmentally responsible companies.
Bankers and investors who evaluate companies and make decisions are beginning to consider both environmental risks and environmental market opportunities. Consequently, more companies are discovering the benefits of going beyond regulatory compliance, toward sustainability.
The following statement, taken from the web pages at www.Earthpledge.org, says a lot: For most of our history, the business of America was, as Calvin Coolidge declared, “business.”
Then, in 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring sent shock waves across the country and around the world. If we were going to continue to conduct business on this planet, Carson argued, we needed to preserve and protect it. The modern environmental movement was born.
For the three decades that ensued, a conflict emerged pitting the forces in favor of increased economic growth against the advocates for environmental protection.
In 1992 representatives of 172 nations gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the Earth Summit, a global conference to discuss “the world’s most pressing conflict.” What emerged was an international endorsement of sustainable development, the concept of balancing our desire for economic growth with the necessity of environmental protection.
At the core of the struggle lies the inherent battle between progress and preservation. Sustainable development addresses this conflict by focusing on the interdependency of our economic, environmental, social and cultural systems. Internationally, efforts to implement sustainable development have focused on policies to address population growth, industrial development, agriculture, global warming, biological diversity and financing environmental and forest protection among others.
In the US, efforts to promote sustainable development have focused on growing and preparing healthier food (sustainable cuisine), designing and constructing more eco-friendly living and working spaces (sustainable architecture), encouraging environmentally friendly travel (sustainable tourism), and ensuring access to technology and information (sustainable media).
Here at EarthRescue, we too feel the need to balance our desire for economic growth with the necessity of environmental, cultural and social preservation.We want to promote companies who provide earth-friendly products and services. We want to promote companies who are doing something to make a difference with measurable results. We want consumers to take a lead role in this promotion and we will encourage them to support ONLY companies who are truly making the effort and deserving of recognition.
