What does sustainability mean to you? Like many of you, I was left confused by the many different interpretations and took some time to come to a reasonable understanding of what sustainability stands for.



Wikipedia states that "Sustainability is the process of maintaining change in a balanced environment, in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations."

As individuals, I take that to mean that we need to keep improving our quality of life (work/life balance) while staying mindful that each action or decision we make does not unnecessarily diminish our natural resources or degrade our environment.

This is where it gets confusing for individuals attempting to start on this journey. Where does one start? Is Green also Eco-Friendly? Does Fair Trade or Ethical Practises advance sustainability? What about Zero Wasting, Food Banks or Carbon Neutral? How are they managed and are they effective?
Recent scandals highlighting the "exports" of low grade waste from Industrialised nations to 3rd world countries resulted in global outcries and resulted in bans in the affected nations. Its is shocking to read that industrialised nations which sets ethical standards and are supposed to be at the forefront of advancing sustainability; had taken the easy way out by dumping their waste instead of finding a solution to the problem. So is the system workable?

It is scandals like this that give critics, media or detractors the ammunition to raise doubts about the viability of practises like Organic, Green, Eco-Friendly, Ethical, Fair Trade, Zero Waste or even Minimalism. This in return stunts ongoing efforts to save our fast degrading environment and declining resources.
Many scientists and naysayers has declared that its too little too late. I disagree as our planet has survived three "doomsdays"; we are still here. But I believe that we need to take immediate action as a global community; even if it is in small steps initially. Our planet and its inhabitant has proved to be incredibly resilient.

So how can we start? For starters, we should be taking a practical and solution based approach to encourage the adoption of sustainability whether it be corporations or individuals. Economic and personal constraints should be taken into consideration before we start leveraging for a ban on certain materials or resources. E.g if a restaurant starts using paper straws; they should be given due credit instead of rebuking them for not rejecting paper cups or plastic lids at the same time. Let's explore positive or solution based approach rather than adopt a confrontative or aggressive approach.

You don't have to agree with me but we're all part of this planetary ecosystem so it does not matter if you're an organic, ethical practitioner or a zero waster; we're all in our own way contributing to sustainability.

Lets all, at our own pace, do our part in achieving sustainability.

Before there's nothing left to sustain.