With environmentalism on the tip of the public’s tongue today companies are beginning to recognize the need and appeal environmental products have created. Companies have begun capitalizing on this niche market, and have begun tagging their products with terms the public acknowledges to be environmentally friendly. But do we actually know what these terms mean? Biodegradable, green, ethical, sustainable? The truth is we don’t. We buy these products because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We feel we are being environmentally friendly, we feel we are now doing our part and environmentalism is something we can cross off our weekend “to-do” list. We seem to have this unearned faith in companies and the organizations that “certify” these claims to be true. We believe that what we read must be true. And maybe it’s not even that companies are trying to fool us into thinking the processes they use to support these environmental claims. Perhaps companies truly do believe these processes are friendly to the environment. Some of these terms make sense. Biodegradable means that the product readily breaks down in the natural environment without contamination of unnatural chemicals. Ethical production is related more to the ethical treatment of individuals producing these products overseas but can also encompass ethical practice such as the use of natural pesticides and chemicals. One of the most commonly coined terms in development of products on a small scale such as lip gloss, and on a larger scale including communities and even entire cities is sustainability. So what is sustainability or sustainable development? Does it even exist?
In the last week I have been bombarded with over thirteen different individuals and organizations take or explanation of what sustainable development is. Before delving too deep into the more common explanations and to which ideas I agree with and disagree with, I must first state this: there is no such thing as sustainable development, or more so, absolute sustainable development. To have an absolutely sustainable planet we would need to completely revert to the stone age or living off the land like the early indigenous peoples. Even so, taking one thing, a single flower from a plant, changes the face of the earth, something no restoration can even completely replace. Since this type of sustainability is absolutely impossible to attain I will focus on sustainable development in the twenty first century. Most explanations of sustainability focus on the equal balance between economics, social morality and the environment. However, I feel the balance should be not so equal. I believe the majority of weight should be placed on the environment, and the others will follow. By focusing on the environment economic gain will follow. According to Vault ®career intelligence, “the environment sector is, by all indicators, a strong field that will provide innumerable opportunities to job seekers well into the future.” To date they estimate that approximately two to five million people are currently employed by the environmental sector, and more to follow. Focusing on the environment may end economic activities in some field but is sure to stimulate the economy with a shift of focus. As far as social morality, how can focusing on the environment be anything but moral? How can a shift from unsustainable growth and ignorance of our natural systems being replaced by a society focusing on becoming more in tune with nature not correlate with societal morals. I personally think a focus on the environment can strength our morals, bring us back to earth, and unite families and friends.
I suppose I still haven’t quite defined what sustainable development is to me. Sustainable development is a focus on the environment. It is creating a product, any product, by means that impact the environment at the smallest cost possible. Everything else will fall into place. There can be no bad consequence for investing in and preserving our environment. Sustainability, to me, is environmental conscience.
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