Sustainability - It affects us all!

Sustainability is on everyone's lips right now, but what does that mean in concrete terms? And why is it so important? I would like to answer these and other questions in this blog article.

What does sustainability actually mean?

I have done a lot of research on the topic of sustainability and even though the topic is being discussed so much, especially at the moment, there is still no universal definition. One attempted definition goes back to Hans Carl von Carlowitz from the 17th century. According to him, a system with its basic characteristics should be preserved in the long term. Resources should be used in such a way that the system has the possibility to regenerate itself, so that following generations are not worse off in the availability of these resources. This refers to the natural regenerative capacity of nature. This may sound a bit abstract at first. Ultimately, what is meant is that we only consume or use so much that enough can grow back at the same time so that there will not be less available at some point.

As you can see, sustainability does not only concern the present, but also the future to a large extent. Everything that does not regenerate or is not renewed, for example, must therefore be specially protected. This also includes the protection of various animal species that are threatened with extinction. But sustainability also includes plastic waste, garbage in general, pollution of the environment by exhaust gases or the like. Sustainability concerns the areas of ecology, economy and society. It is a very broad area and everyone is involved so that our children and grandchildren are not one day faced with resources that are no longer available, such as water, or mountains of garbage that can no longer be mined.

Can we do anything at all?

This all sounds fine and dandy at first, but can we really do anything? We as individuals, or is it not rather the big companies that have a responsibility in this regard? Of course, sustainability affects large companies to a not insignificant degree. Products are manufactured and sold with a large amount of poorly degradable plastics. Our electricity supply still relies a lot on nuclear power and coal-fired power plants. These are only two examples, which make clear that both the companies and the politicians must do something in this area.

And yet we can also do something. We can consciously choose "green" electricity (which is not much more expensive depending on the provider). We can consciously use less plastic in our everyday life by looking for degradable packaging when shopping, by looking for alternatives, by not using disposable diapers, by not driving a car or driving less. I could go on with this list, but I think it became clear that each individual can do something. If fewer products are bought in plastic packaging, they will eventually be produced less. After all, demand also regulates supply. But buying in this way already presents us with major challenges these days. Large supermarket chains in particular don't really make it easy for us. We don't have to do everything.

I think we have a responsibility to create a world for our children that is worth living in. So that the next generations don't have to face the consequential problems of the current way of life. The mountains of garbage are constantly growing. Various plant and animal species can no longer recover, entire habitats are being destroyed. That sounds drastic?! It is. We don't have to "save the world". I think everyone can do their small part and something will happen. For the love of our children and of course for nature!

The topic of sustainability on Twitter

The cover image is a photo by Ben White and comes from unsplash.com. The image in the text is a photo by Francesco Gallarotti from unsplash.com.