Time to get started on the path to sustainability
Posted By MICHELE RICH
Posted 10 months ago
It's fashionable and trendy to be environmentally conscious. More recently, 'sustainability' has been on everyone's lips.
While environmentalism is definitely a component of sustainability, so are economics and social and cultural issues as well.
Most Canadians feel that sustainability is or should be high on the list of priorities for our decision-makers.
Trouble is though, that most of us also think that other people don't care about sustainability.
The fact is however, that it is high on the list of priorities for our decision-makers and individuals here in Canada.
The real issue is that Canadians don't clearly understand what it is that we are doing that is unsustainable--and therefore we don't know how to live sustainably.
We hear the word tossed around all the time, from municipal plans to flooring and cleaning products. In 1987, Sustainability was defined as "meeting the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs" according to the World Commission on Environment and Development.
We use this word sustainability in many ways, related to many different topics. Well, guess what? Everyone is singing from the same song sheet, so to speak.
Simply put, it's all about supply and demand. Here in Collingwood we see this quite obviously in our increasing energy consumption, population growth, demand for housing and in our
decreasing: air quality, declining natural green spaces, affordable housing.
Collingwood is experiencing some wonderful growth and affluence here.
This does however, increase our demand on natural resources and the natural services that nature provides such as water filtration, soil stabilization, and climate regulation to name a couple.
Essentially, thinking long-term when making decisions or taking actions is what it is all about.
It can be very simple--not easy, but simple. Operating on an individual basis is very important.
Understanding the big picture is the first step.
Let's start with what it is we do that is unsustainable:
First, we DIG materials out of the Earth's crust and these materials are building up faster than nature can re-assimilate them back into the Earth (like cadmium for batteries, fossil fuels and coal).
Second, we DUMP human-made products or chemicals into the biosphere. Products like fire retardants (PDBE's), pesticides and plastic are building up on the Earth's surface and nature cannot break them down fast enough or before they cause problems within the natural cycles of life.
Third, we damage, or DEGRADE natural systems and the services that nature provides like climate regulation and water filtration.
Fourth, we often DEGRADE other humans. This happens most unintentionally.
We live in and create societies where many people cannot meet their basic needs, such as subsistence, (ie: affordable housing), understanding, (accessibility for those who communicate differently) or protection (sometimes from those they love or trust).
So to answer the question "How do we 'do' sustainability?"Well, it is really about asking the right questions before making a decision or taking action.
Over the next few weeks we will explore some everyday situations and ask the questions we need to ask ourselves in order to make sustainability a reality in our lives.
Michele Rich is the Executive Director at The Environment Network and has been a student of Sustainability for several years. As past Chair of the Town of Collingwood's Sustainability Committee, Michele is eager to work with the community on their journey towards Sustainability.
Over the coming weeks, the Enterprise-Bulletin is featuring a series of columns discussing sustainability and what it means for the community.
