While the focus of this blog is sustainability, I'm not going to get up on my soapbox and shout that we should all downsize and simplify and stop consuming so danged much. While that idea fits with my personal philosophy, I also realize that the question is much more complex than that. There are so many facets to the notion of sustainability, some of which seem to be in opposition to one another.
I want to explore the balancing act inherent in sustainability. That balancing act requires looking at the bigger picture impact on multiple facets of sustainability, not just the ones (like the environment) we hold near and dear.
Take economic growth. You will hear arguments coming out of the corporate world that imposing measures aimed at, for example, moving towards increased increased environmental sustainability will hurt their business, which will in turn have a negative impact on the money that flows back out into the economy from the business (salaries, products and services that company buys, etc.). While some of those arguments are little more than posturing, some of them are true as well.
It's in all our best interests to have vibrant, healthy, profitable companies out there. At the same time, it's also in our best interest to have the little things in life...like clean air, healthy food, a liveable climate, etc.
So where is the balance? I don't think there is one single concrete answer. But the notion that there needs to be a balance is an important one. Both a healthy environment and a thriving economy are vital to our well-being.
I don't have the answers. At this point - just beginning the blog - I'm not even really sure I know what the questions are. But I hope to get more insight along the way, and I hope I'll shed some valuable light on those questions for you as well.
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