Learning To Be Sustainable
What is sustainability and why is it important? It is the ability to maintain or support a process over time. Sustainability is usually sectioned into three core concepts. Economic, environmental, and social. “Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” UN World Commission on Environment and Development couldn’t have said it better. It is important that the generations to come can sustain their future. One that they can maintain in health, wealth, and environment. How do we maintain this lifestyle, and where do we start?
Health
I have heard many people say, “It costs money to be healthy.” However it costs a lot more money when you are ill. Though it is true that it can be costly to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is not impossible. It is with our choices that we make every day to maintain health. Walk more, take the stairs, drink more water, and eat right.
I believe in botanical medicine. It is the use of herbs for medicinal purposes and it has been used long before recorded history. Herbs can help treat many conditions. However, the “natural" medicine is not always safe. Some herbs may interact negatively for people with certain medical conditions. I do recommend seeing your doctor, it is always important to consult your physician. Taking the proper medication for things we cannot control with botanical medicine is important.
People are intelligent and they have studied for years on the cures and remedies for illness and disease. It would be silly to think that we can cure ourselves entirely on herbal medicine. What I stand by when it comes to this type of medicine is that it is a great source for a preventative approach to our health. Not to everything, but it is a sustainable way to keep health in good standing. It is important to take care of yourself and this is one way to maintain that.
Being healthy can be easy when you stay on top of it. It does not have to cost you an arm or a leg. It starts with knowing your body, and your mind. Health isn’t just about your physical, but your mental well being as well. Mental health is health too. Many people overlook that for many reasons. I know I did.
Knowing yourself body and mind is about knowing your value. What strengths and what weaknesses you may have determine your value. We do not always buy the misshapen fruit for some assume negatively about it. It is perceived to be lesser in value. We think badly about our faults when we concern ourselves with what others may think. We are all misshapen, or bruised, sometimes overripe, or too tart. I can say that the fruit may be a little off, but I am nourished from all that is good regardless. It is okay to have faults. We all do. We have to know how to take accountability for the things that we may fail in because unlike fruit we have the power to become more and better. Part of that is understanding that your mindset needs to be healthy too.
Taking accountability is how we prevent a future of unhealthy costs. Sometimes the cost may be more than you can predict. So please take care of yourselves now. Stay on top of your physical and mental well being for your future will thank you.
Wealth
When you find a healthier way of living you will find a sustainable wealth. Wealth means something differently to everyone. Weather it is social, intellectual, or even spiritual we are all diverse. So when I say we can gain sustainable wealth, I am not saying you will become the one percent. I am saying you will find that with the bad habits we break, and the education we gain, we can maintain a richness in almost anything.
Financially, the majority of people want to become more stable. There are ways. Learn how to budget, and make a financial plan. Open a high-yield savings account, and learn how to invest. When you learn how to make your money work for you it allows you some financial peace of mind. It is of some debate that future generations will struggle financially. I believe it is the lack of financial education that will compromise us. Take accountability for your finances, your health, and your education. Learn about how you can make sustainable wealth. It does not have to cost you a lot for we have the resources available to us. It is easier today to educate ourselves.
With everything about sustainability it is about balance. It intertwines with everything we do. "Sustain" means to stay on top of, to maintain, and to continue. It is a structure that proceeds to function and adapt to changing conditions. Sustainable living is about understanding how our choices impact the world around us. We can limit the degradation of our environment and continue to reinforce socio-economic development.
Environment
Environment Sustainability is at the core of it all. Without our world we do not exist. The air we breath, and the soil we utilize will not sustain our generations to come. If we are to sustain our needs, to have clean water, healthy food, and stable housing. We must educate ourselves on these matters.
One in ten people, or 771 million people do not have access to safe water. Polluted air and water compromise our health, in so it compromises our wealth. Our access to clean water is cause for concern. Several of the water systems, rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up or becoming too polluted to use. More than half our world’s wetlands have disappeared. Climate change is causing shortages, droughts and floods. Though it is not uncommon to have these circumstances in certain regions. This pattern is being predicted to shift outside of historical trends, making our water supply and quality more difficult to obtain.
Out With The Old
Agriculture consumes more water than any other source and wastes much of that through inefficiencies. It has also depleted our soil of the nutrients it needs to produce healthy crop. This tends to lead to soil pollution, in turn leads to water pollution, and cannot sustain proper crop that the ever growing population of our world needs. It is also a contributor to climate change by emitting greenhouse gases though traditional agricultural practices such as crop cultivation and animal husbandry. It is a cycle of degrading practices that must change for it will only increase the damage to our environment, to our health, and to our future.
The primary causes of gas emissions are transportation, electricity generation, and other forms of energy production. Though agriculture is not the primary cause of these emissions, it is important to understand that it is the most adaptive. We have the power to change it. If we want sustainability, we need clean water, and healthy food to start. There are sustainable farm techniques we can adapt. Permiculture is one way.
Permiculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems. It consists of diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. This allows a coexistence of animal and plant life to function in a balanced cycle where they feed from each other, and grow sustainably without the interference of degrading practices. This will ensure soil regeneration, water retention, and reinforcing ecosystems. Life will grow more naturally, and more healthy.
It is a way of life we all can partake in. It starts with education. Educate yourselves to live more sustainably and you will find life more enjoyable. For it is about the quality of life we maintain, and the betterment of everything that coexists in this world we call home.
Want to support our future goals? Please visit our shop or click the link below. Any support helps us create almost anything!
UCLA (n.d.). What is Sustainability. University of California, Los Angeles, Sustainability. https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/what-is-sustainability/
SNHU (2024, January 16). What is Environmental Sustainability? Goals with Examples. Southern New Hampshire University. https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/stem/what-is-environmental-sustainability
UNEP (n.d.). Sustainable Lifestyles. UN Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/resource-efficiency/what-we-do/sustainable-lifestyles
Mount Sinai (n.d.). Herbal Medicine. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/treatment/herbal-medicine#:~:text=Herbal%20medicine%2C%20also%20called%20botanical,of%20use%20outside%20conventional%20medicine.
MSU (n.d.). Strategic Plan, Sustainable Wealth. Michigan State University. https://strategicplan.msu.edu/strategic-plan/sustainable-health#:~:text=Sustainable%20health%20is%20a%20holistic,absence%20of%20disease%20or%20infirmity.
SEC (n.d.). Financial Readiness, Making Money Grow. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/financial-readiness/making-money-grow
IEF (2013, October 30). What is Sustainable Wealth? International Environment Forum. https://iefworld.org/ddahl13d
Columbia Climate School, Climate, Earth, and Society (2023, November 6). America’s Groundwater Crisis. State of The Planet. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/11/06/americas-groundwater-crisis/
WWF (n.d.). Water Scarcity. World Wildlife Fund. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity#:~:text=Billions%20of%20People%20Lack%20Water&text=When%20waters%20run%20dry%2C%20people,and%20other%20water%2Dborne%20illnesses.
RFF (n.d.). Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions 101. Resources For The Future. https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/agricultural-greenhouse-gas-emissions-101/
EPA (n.d.). Basics of Climate Change. United States Environment Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/climatechange-science/basics-climate-change
EPA (n.d.). Drought Resilience and Water Conservation. United States Environment Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/water-research/drought-resilience-and-water-conservation
EPA (n.d.). Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply. United States Environment Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-impacts-agriculture-and-food-supply#:~:text=Rising%20temperatures%20and%20carbon%20dioxide,a%20future%20without%20climate%20change.
EPA (n.d.). Climate Change Indicators. United States Environment Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/greenhouse-gases
USDA (n.d.). The Economic Impact of Climate Change on Northwest Farms. Climate Hubs U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northwest/topic/economic-impact-climate-change-northwest-farms#:~:text=Increased%20temperatures%20can%20also%20lead,scarcity%20during%20peak%20growing%20months.
Permaculture News (n.d.). What is Permaculture ? Permaculture Research Institute. https://www.permaculturenews.org/what-is-permaculture/
