Blog I – What to consider while on the pursuit of sustainability!

Research suggests that it takes only 5–10% of the population of a community, a country, or the world to bring about major social and environmental change.

— G. Tyler Miller

For every environmentalist there has come a point in their lives in which they can no longer turn a blind eye. Maybe that moment took place during their last scuba diving trip where once flourishing coral reefs had now become bleached carbonate rocks. Or, perhaps they saw the news and found out about 1 billion animals were killed during the Australia wildfires last month. Despite how we got here, the path towards becoming more sustainable is close by. This blog will present key introductory information on how to pursue a life of sustainability.

So, what is sustainability?

According to Miller, “sustainability is the capacity of the earth’s natural systems that support life and human social systems to survive or adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely” (Miller 4). Or in other words, sustainability is the practice of maintaining current ecological resources for the sake of future generations of living beings. The Earth, on its own, practices sustainability naturally. However, humans are preventing the Earth from doing so in a healthy and homeostatic way. Nonetheless, human social systems can also practice sustainability by making environmentally conscious choices that do not disrupt the natural flow of the environment.

How the Earth sustains itself?

The Earth relies on solar energy to function. The energy provided by the sun allows for plants to grow and produce nutrients. Animals and plants depend on these nutrients to live (Miller 5). Meanwhile, biodiversity is the variety of genes, species, and ecosystems on Earth. Variety is important because it prevents ecosystems from being highly susceptible to change (Miller 5). For example, during periods of hardship a variety of genes or species are necessary to evolve and adapt an ecosystem. Lastly, the Earth also sustains itself with the process of nutrient cycling. It provides the circulation of chemicals and nutrients in the environment (Miller 5). This mainly takes place in water and soil, and the process carried out by various organisms. What solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling all have in common are that together they sustain all forms of life.

How to become sustainable:

1. We must first understand the role and necessity of natural capital on our lives. Natural capital is both the resources and services provided by the Earth that allow living creatures, such as ourselves, to thrive (Miller 6). Natural resources include the sun, coal, gas, sand. Meanwhile, natural services or ecosystem services include purifying air, regulating climate, cleaning water, etc. Natural resources and natural services are both necessary or beneficiary to the maintenance of life, especially human life.
2. However, human activities are currently effecting and degrading natural capital. Despite how much people rely on natural capital, we continue to undervalue them. For example, humans environmentally degrade earth’s natural capital by replacing old growth forests with crop plantations, releasing pollutants into water systems, improperly disposing waste like plastics, etc (Miller 11). According to the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of 2005, human activities have overused about 60% of ecosystem services (Miller 11). The unsustainable use of the planet is primarily due to certain nations’ large ecological footprints. An ecological footprint is the amount productive land and water necessary to sustain a population with renewable resources and provide ecosystem services (Miller 12). This includes providing nonrenewable resources for energy consumption and transportation, livestock production, wiping out forests for cultivation, etc. The WWF found the United States to be responsible for 23% of the global ecological footprint. In addition, we would need five planets if the entire human population used resources at the same rate the average American did in 2012 (Miller 16). Affluence and unsustainable resource use has largely contributed to such irresponsibility and overuse of our natural resources. On the other hand, poverty has also led to environmental degradation. People who are focused on surviving and maintaining their family, usually do not have time to consider environmentally friendly choices (Miller 17). Overall, there are many factors that contribute to environmental degradation of the planet.
3. Although things are currently looking gloom, solutions can be met! There are a variety of solutions on the individual and holistic level. For example, from the economic standpoint, many environmental economists believe full cost pricing can aid in living sustainably. Full cost pricing provides consumer information about environmentally harmful impacts by putting it on the price tag (Miller 9). For instance, a carbon tax provides the consumer information on how pricey and impactful the cost truly is of a specific product. On the other hand, a political solution on maintaining sustainability calls for win-win solutions. Win-win solutions are compromises that benefit a large amount of people and the environment (Miller 9). Lastly, an ethical viewpoint is vital for creating sustainable solutions (Miller 9). If more people believe they should leave the planet as good or better than they received it, then there could be more accountability and action for environmental reform. Following and supporting this ethical stance can be a solution for promoting world-wide sustainability. For example, it can mark a sustainable revolution. The conservationist, Theodore Roosevelt established 36 national wildlife reserves and the national forest reserves tripled during his term (Miller 20). John Muir, holding a preservationist view, established Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Club (Miller 20-21). Roosevelt, Muir, and other environmental activists have and continue to successfully contribute to the sustainable movement.

Lastly, don’t quit!

The goal is to transition today’s society into an environmentally sustainable one. We start this transition, by first becoming the change we want to see in the World. It does not matter how small or big each of our contributions are, as long as we are doing something. Doing a little is always better than doing nothing! For instance, research suggests that to bring about a major environmental change, it takes only 5–10% of the population of a community, a nation, or the World (Miller 24). Therefore, one person can bring a whole lot of change. And if you still do not believe in an individual’s power I’ll leave you with one last quote by Dalai Lama, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

Side Note: My ecological footprint states that if everyone lived like me, then 3.8 earths would be needed. Food and mobility were my greater consumption categories.

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