Standard Definition
"Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars: economic, environmental, and social"
What this means
This means that we need to take care of ourselves, earth and profits, without compromising the future of our children. We see it as an opportunity to build new values that align the pillars equally.
Currently, the economic pillar stands tall and proud with it's peak brushing the clouds. The social pillar, only a few feet off the ground, looks up at the powerful structure in wonder of the feeling the clouds could offer. Below, the environmental pillar calls for attention with its peak just barely breaking the soil, but no one looks down.
Sustainability is a new concept, and it's understanding is both lost and misinterpreted by most individuals. As such, labelling businesses, products or services as "sustainable" is often misleading.
More research is needed for a better understanding.
Earth practices sustainability through healthy ecosystems.
The three pillars for a natural ecosystem compose of: wildlife (social), environment, and food+water (profit). For an ecosystem, not a lot of thought goes into thinking about the future, but the present actions are guided by the same instinct to survive as with humanity.
We learn of balance on every nature channel and in every book. We've seen it on the news and in our own backyard. When a seemingly harmless insect profits from a new crop the results could be catastrophic for the crop, soil, microbes, fungi, minerals, water retention, other wildlife and humans.
The skillful use of balance is Earth's nature, and our bodies nature, but not for our current conscious minds.
"For higher consciousness, balance is learned"
What we need to learn.
By observing small ecosystems, we could learn what balance means for earth, and where the limits stand before collapse. A lot of the information is already available but unfortunately, ignored.
Even with conscious awareness, by learning all the facts, there are currently so many practices collapsing Earths balance for profit & survival of past economic and social structures. This might sound scary and defeating, but there is always hope.
The world is more connected than you think. The series "One Strange Rock", hosted by Will Smith, can show you all about it.
Just like plants, animals and minerals of a single small ecosystem could effect life on the other side of the world, sustainable businesses and people also have the ability for change and affect worldwide.
The Earth as a whole, us included, is one big ecosystem. Though currently unbalanced, we still have time to make the right decisions.
[more coming soon]
What do humans need?
As much as we are similar to animals, we are also very different. Humans' ecosystem is not a tiny pocket of the world, it is the whole world in its entirety. You probably have a collection of items in your home from every continent in the world to prove it. Evolution made this possible.
However, because our ecosystem is so large, and our capacity for awareness is so small, it is easy to become oblivious to the larger picture. We began as an animal, present with our immediate surroundings, and didn't think to ask questions. And although many of our tendencies still default to small comfortable ecosystems (town), we now begin to ask questions that go beyond our bubble, and beyond Earth.
Unlike any other living creature, we have wants. Consciousness is creative. With this power comes the magical world we live in. It is our nature to use creativity for the innovation of new thoughts and ideas; creativity is in everything we do, even if we think we're not creative. 'Wants' are 'Instincts' (needs) that are creatively abstracted through evolution and expressed by our chemistry. Essentially, creativity uses our ideas and chemistry to satisfy our wants & needs.
"Each new thought you have is creative."
What we could learn.
Creating on your own is great, but creating with other people is even better. 'Brainstorming' is literally taking the electrical storm of your thought and putting it on paper. When done with multiple people, the electrical storms of your peers reflect in your own brain! This triggers new storms for your brain, which results in new ideas.
By working together we could make connections we didn't think were possible, or possibly floating in our own brains.
Learning to learn about each others needs and wants is essential. Each individual is valuable through their creative experience of the world.
[more coming soon]
What does a business need?
First, a business needs to learn the language of currency. It can then use the grid of numbers, defining value, attributed to everything on Earth.
If a business is creative enough, it could figure out the ultimate formula to collect numbers from all around the world without moving very far. Even though seeing the numbers is essential for a business, sometimes greed glasses grow fused with the viewer, and numbers become all there is to see.
"A business needs to see the numbers and the real world to be balanced."
[more coming soon]
