Sustainability: More than a Platitude
It is really about mindset, energy and connection
I have noticed that people are developing an aversion to the word sustainability. Some people roll their eyes when the word is used, and others outright condemn its use as a platitude, void of authenticity. Since I chose this as the first word in the name of my business, I admit to my bias in finding deep meaning in the word, and I would like to explore its meaning for me, and the challenges in its use. It is a word with many dimensions. So many dimensions it can be hard to wrap your head around. Maybe that is one of the problems… it gets tossed around so often that it doesn’t feel actionable or tangible.
When I was naming my business, and defining what I want to do, many people urged me to focus. “You do environmental stuff, right?” “Why don’t you just focus on water?” “I don’t understand what your niche is?” At first, I was frustrated, but I have come to feel even more strongly that I am striving to embrace the opposite of specificity. My roots are in systems thinking, and thanks to my very wise advisor, Dr. Iraj Zandi, I was able to explore this in a manner that brought together analytical and scientific rigor without its typical boundaries. By definition a systems approach means acknowledging that everything is interconnected in a manner that is not often acknowledged in engineering. It is more spiritual and philosophical than objective. In fact, I believe you need to appreciate the fundamental value of connectedness between the social sciences and “hard science” to appreciate sustainability.
Sustainability isn’t naturally aligned with our western way of being, where we are encouraged to strive to accumulate more of everything. More wealth, more status, more stuff, more friends and likes on social media. Sustainability is about finding the balance of just what you need to thrive, to be healthy and happy without depleting you to the point that you can’t appreciate it. It’s also about understanding your connection to everything outside of you and how everyone and everything’s quality of life is interdependent. That includes people, organizations, animals, plants, rivers or oceans. It’s about not taking more than you need when there is someone or something else that is in need. Killing Rhinoceros for ivory when it means that they will become extinct, dumping toxic waste into the nearby water body when it will kill the sea life and potentially take away someone’s food source, avoiding paying taxes while living in one of your estates when fellow citizens are homeless…. These things are not sustainable behaviors. Maybe that is the challenge, it can be easy to spot the big examples of what isn’t sustainable and if we do not see ourselves in those examples, we do not see the relevance in the word.
What if we consider sustainability as a mindset? What if we incorporated it into our everyday actions by thinking of the ripple effects of our choices? It isn’t about perfection, and its meaning will differ depending on your perspective and your wealth, that is ok. As a mindset it is as much about economics and psychology as it is about the environment. I believe that the current labor shortage is possibly a reflection of people’s innate recognition that having a job for the sake of a paycheck when the job does not fulfill your need for purpose is all about sustainable choices and finding the right balance at this point in time. Sustainability can be considered on any scale. Are your personal actions allowing you to sustain the quality of life you need? Is your community sustainable? Is your business sustainable? Is the country or planet sustainable? The bigger the ecosystem that you apply it to, the more vague and overwhelming it becomes. So, in that context I agree that there may be better choices of words.
Consider what quality of life means to you. What do you need for a “good” quality of life? I need to be able to wake up to birdsongs in the morning, to breath fresh air, enjoy the outdoors, have clean water and fresh grown produce, to have a roof over my head, a comfortable bed, people who care about me and enough money in the bank to give me freedom to choose how to spend my time. A great quality of life for me is when I can connect with others in a way that makes me feel whole. When I can travel and explore and learn and grow.
I have come to realize that my quality of life has nothing to do with how many pairs of shoes I own, or what jewelry I wear. My favorite new sweater was purchased at a thrift store. My favorite purchase of the last 6 months is the fig tree I planted in my backyard. You may be thinking, what does any of that have to do with sustainability? I think a lot. How we choose to spend not just our money, but our time, thoughts and overall energy defines how we feel at the end of each day. If you feel drained and dreading tomorrow, you probably did not apply a sustainable mindset today. But the cool thing about it is that you do not need to undo the past to rebalance… you can take a step before you go to bed, or before the end of the day, week or year to rebuild the energy you, your community and/or your organization needs. At a personal level it could be to go for a walk or have a meaningful conversation with someone you care about. For your community it could be to share something that is abundant for you with someone who is lacking, and for your organization it might be to evaluate your role in the well-being of your employees and customers and take steps that are mutually beneficial. So, consider your behaviors and where you are leaking energy before you run out of steam. By addressing the leaks, you are adopting a sustainable mindset. That will ensure you not only survive, but that you enjoy a great quality of life that is appreciated, while also ensuring that others can as well.