Mainstream Sustainability

Before I start this post I just want to make a statement that I am not an expert on social issues nor environmental issues. Much of my knowledge comes from simple exposure to discussions held on a college campus in class or with friends. As always, anyone is welcome to provide information that I have missed or an argument that I didn't cover.

My favorite definition of sustainability is the simplest, and it comes from the Brundtland Report of 1987: "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It's the most literal, and it implies that whether you interpret this as the future of your country, your children, or the state of the Earth, sustainability isn't optional: it's a necessity.

However, the problem with something so flexible is that sometimes instead of interpreting ourselves and collecting information, we take our opinions from the media. The mainstream image of sustainability tends to be well off, and frankly white people, who are vegans and drive electric cars.

Now first of all, I could go off on how veganism isn't actually the most sustainable diet, or how electric cars may contribute to more carbon emissions in their battery life cycle. However there's a deeper issue here that sustainability is being marketed to us at a high price.

I'm white and well off myself, and what I say to my parents and neighbors is hey, if you can afford the products that actually help reduce your carbon footprint, then great, but don't push it on other people.

The cold hard truth is, sustainability is about accessibility. The city my school is in has no bike paths, so I have to drive to the grocery store. It's cheaper and more convenient to go to a supermarket than to go to a local farmers market once a week. People who live in cities are probably living more efficiently than a person in the suburbs with solar panels and an electric car because they're walking to work, and walking to get their necessities, or taking public transit. As smoggy as cities are, urbanization makes everything closer together and easier to get to.

Does this mean we should be complacent? No. We need to tell our officials to enact policies that make being sustainable more accessible to the average citizen, and hold corporations responsible for the emissions they're producing. Stop yelling at each other.

As always, if you see any inconsistencies in this post or want to contribute your own ideas, feel free to comment.