About "Sustainability"

An assignment I did for an interesting focus group on “Sustainability”...

 

My Life and how sustainability fits in. The internet defines sustainability: avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance, so the average quality of life that we ensure for ourselves can be potentially shared by all future generations.  

 

What sustainability means to me. To me sustainability means not being wasteful. Not being wasteful 24/7, and not just to put on a show for others in the sustainability community. Not being wasteful in the little things.

 

How sustainability fits into my life / world.

I am just one man. I will do my part. Most of the things I do aren’t a problem. I can do them as a matter of course. What so often goes unsaid is that no matter how much I do or how much the US government does or raises taxes, a vast majority of the damage being done to the planet comes from all the pollution dumped into the air and sea over in southeast Asia / China. Until China and its neighbors get their act together, our hope for sustainability is doomed.

 

The types of things I am doing/buying/using/ to help me be sustainable.

1. At work I recycle paper, write on scrap paper, and use recycled paper.

2. At home we recycle plastic and cardboard, and use cloth towels instead of paper towels.

3. We used cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers. Who does that?

4. We only wash full loads of dishes and laundry.

5. We buy soaps and shampoos that are sustainable

and organically grown meats and produce and fruit.

6. We don’t use disposable plates and cups.

7. We don’t use fertilizer in the yard. A majority of our yard is not grass but all natural.  

8. I buy used clothing and recycle my old clothes when they no longer fit.

9. The few times I might wash my car, I waste as little water as possible, and park the car in the grass when I do wash it myself. 

10. I don’t bag clippings or raked leaves but instead place them in areas to prevent erosion.

11. I rake manually or use an electric blower instead of gas-powered.

12. At the grocery store we bring in reusable bags.

13. When at all possible I eat leftovers before they go bad to prevent waste.

14. I turn down the thermostat and turn off lights when they aren’t being used.

15. We live in a small house, not a giant mansion.   

16. I combine trips in the car, as opposed to making several excursions.

17. Taking mass transit downtown for the focus group.

18. We may have to cut down a tree every now and then, but we plant new trees, bushes, and plants.

 

What is most important to me when it comes to sustainability. In addition to the above, the most important sustainable thing to me is conserving gasoline, getting the best MPG possible. I drive a small car that gets good MPG and not a gas guzzling SUV. I drive slow, avoid jackrabbit starts, and cost downhill and up to stop lights. Observing other drivers, a vast majority find little importance in this.

 

My biggest wish-fors when it comes to sustainability: I wish I had a Tesla! Seriously, I wish people and media and government wouldn’t exaggerate and fabricate and pass along false data information. I wish people wouldn’t condemn others for not sharing the same viewpoints, or try to make their viewpoint the rule of law (and make believing anything else illegal – a.k.a. the thought police!)