Authentic Sustainability

I have been thinking about issues of sustainability, natural resource consumption, and the human effect on the planet for what seems like my entire life. As a youngster, this manifested in my insistence that my parents not purchase soda cans bound together with rings of plastic that were eventually found around the mouths or necks of fish and birds the world over. As I grew, I became aware of the impact my daily commute to high school had on green house gas levels. I resolved to take the bus to school even as a senior, something seen as deeply uncool, but I saw as a stand against blatant abuse of our planet. I chose to study Natural Resource Management in a highly environmentally progressive community and was opened up to a plethora of conversations around attitudes toward sustainability and sustainable development. What had never occurred to me was why I was having those conversations and the lens through which I viewed those issues so dear to me.

The Authentic Sustainability workshop hosted on the morning of November 18th at the E-House started off with the presenters explaining their frame of reference when tackling conversations around sustainability. They discussed the "pitfalls" we can fall into when trying to engage in a conversation that is meaningful to us: being right, proving a point, and shaming others are all holes we can fall into when justifying these conversations. But do they fit the reasoning behind having the conversation in the first place? The facilitators of the discussion urged us participants to envision the sustainable world we long for when advocating for the change of human behavior to more sustainable ways. They asked us what it would feel like to live in that world; what were the feelings associated with a more sustainable life? We spoke about freedom, joy, community, openness, resilience, and hope. These were all overwhelmingly positive. So why would we so often approach sustainability conversations from a combative place? How could we reframe these conversations in the context of our lives?

I began to answer that question for myself during this workshop. It forced me to think about why I make the decision to engage in sustainability conversations. What I came up with was that I want a better world for the sake of the Earth itself and for everyone inhabiting it. I care DEEPLY about this issue and want that to reflect in my conversations. There is no room for ego when I have these conversations because it isn't about who is right and who is wrong. It is about a real issue with real, impactful consequences. As I walked out of the workshop, I began to formulate in my head how I would frame conversations about sustainability with friends and family moving forward. Keeping in mind the place I come from when having those conversations will help me to approach them in a more calm and gentle manner, which I believe can only help to get across the point that I am coming from a caring place, not a combative one.