Don't be greenwashed! There is nothing sustainable about that picture. That green glove is probably made of plastic and so is the plant. I know, that sounds a bit extreme, ha! We do need to discern better to actually make the right choices, and we can't let the mind tricks dictate our behavior.
So what is "sustainability" then? Many people perceive it as an abstract concept that has to do with structures, industries, governments... And nothing to do with them. We are going to ground it a bit and relate it to our lives.
To start at the basics, sustainability literally means the ability to sustain; in other words, the capacity to make something last. This applies to all scales. A lifestyle can be sustainable or unsustainable, just like a society, a product, a company, a diet, a workout etc.
If you work out for three hours a day and you push up to failure every time, you are probably going to have issues! Your body cannot sustain that level of strain although it might seem okay at the beginning. If you eat candy everyday, that is also unsustainable for obvious reasons. When you start feeling the symptoms, you go to the doctor, and if you are lucky to find a good one they will tell you to stop eating candy and switch to something that will actually sustain your body. If you are not so lucky, you won't even be asked what you eat and be given a pill to level out your blood glucose levels or something of the sorts.
Of course, when we talk about sustainability nowadays we usually refer to the larger picture, but it is important to start at home as with everything else. If our lifestyles are degrading our own bodies it is very unlikely that we will make better choices in regards to the human collective and the planet. "As above so below" and as within so without... Rarely fails.
It is not my place to tell you what to do with your body (there are plenty of amazing resources on that subject already); however, when it comes to the choices that are affecting everything and everyone else, I say: "Get your sh** together, you human with a tremendous potential to make the world a better place!"
We have been taking so many collective pills by not addressing the obvious causes of the environmental devastation the world is under. Recycling is close to a pill. It's not bad... but stop consuming single use packaging. That is the solution. Cleaning up the ocean is more like a fancy enema or some other internal cleanse. It's pretty good... but won't do much if we keep trashing the ocean! We will talk about practical action in other posts
Sustainability is about understanding the consequences of our actions and taking responsibility for them, because we live in a shared house that no one (or everyone) owns. If I do this, how is it going to affect everyone else in the present and the future? How is it going to affect our precious planet and its ability to renew itself?
Acting Sustainably = Acting Responsibly = Acting with Care & Knowledge
If you are reading this, ignorance is not an excuse anymore. You have the ability to know exactly where your goods are coming from and what happens when you ""throw them away"" (remember that, unfortunately, things don't disappear in this reality as of now). "Natural" does not mean anything. Think critically and be honest... please :) Oh and habit is not an excuse either.
It is all about your state of mind and your willingness to make a positive contribution to our planet every day of your life. And to be clear, we are here talking about the most superficial–and thus most essential–way we interact with the planet and everyone in it.
Please, remember that this is not about feeling bad. It is about doing our best and feeling AMAZING about it.
Thanks for reading and stay posted for more practical ways to make our world a beautiful place!