Our dying world calls on its residents to live more sustainably in an effort to delay the planet’s demise and make it more “livable” for both present and future inhabitants.
Before we become part of the “sustainable” movement, though, we must first be aware of the activities that go against it.
These activities are known as “unsustainable” or something that cannot be kept going at its current rate.
To give you a clearer picture of what the word “unsustainable” means, we’ll discuss how it relates to “sustainable.”
We’ll also go over some activities that are not considered sustainable, given our planet’s present condition.
In this way, you can devise a more concrete plan on how to ingrain sustainability into your everyday life and contribute, in your own way, to our home’s restoration.
What Is Sustainability?
In a nutshell, sustainability focuses on presently meeting needs without compromising the future generations’ ability to meet theirs.
It’s a concept that covers environmental, economic, and social aspects by addressing activities that concern the planet, the people, and how people make profits.
To shed further light on the concept, let’s take into consideration a family that practices sustainable living.
These people make sure their appliances, food, clothes, and other items are all sourced ethically.
They also don’t support establishments that engage in unethical practices, like cheap labor and animal cruelty.
Then, there’s the environmental side of things to consider, as well.
The family should also implement sustainable waste management practices and learn more about zero waste habits to ensure that any trash they dispose of does not end up anywhere where it can damage natural systems.
Lastly, sustainable living is something that requires a lot of research.
New studies and technologies can easily alter the state of “sustainable” practice.
As such, it is your responsibility to stay updated on the sustainability of your current methods.
In case recent changes make a previously-sustainable practice unsustainable, you should make plans to phase it out and replace it with a new, sustainable method.
It’s important to consider that shifting towards sustainable living doesn’t happen overnight.
In reality, it can take years for someone to make progress and be completely sustainable.
What Is Unsustainability?
Unsustainability entails the opposite of what was discussed above.
If it’s an economic, environmental, or social activity that compromises the ability of future generations to acquire their daily needs, then it is considered unsustainable.
To give you a clearer picture of what unsustainability is, let’s consider a company that engages in unsustainable practices.
More often than not, this establishment would be taking advantage of cheap labor, providing poor working conditions, and having complete disregard for the environment as it goes about its daily operations.
While the company’s questionable practices are almost always going to have a direct impact on both the environment and its people, they will take time to affect profit negatively.
Sooner or later, though, its issues will come to light, and customers who have been loyal to the company for years will be dismayed by its lack of accountability.
Eventually, as consumers start shifting their efforts for more sustainable living, they will begin disassociating with businesses that don’t align with their views.
Unsustainable Resources
If a particular resource is expected to run out, then using it is considered unsustainable.
Consider avoiding the following resources in your efforts to restructure your way of life into something more sustainable.
1. Fossil Fuels
These resources formed beneath the earth are incredibly in demand.
Add to the fact that these resources are not reusable means they’ll eventually run out in the future.
Even today, we haven’t quite found a solid replacement for crude oil, natural gas, and coal.
This because all the replacement methods presented so far cannot be applied to the vast majority of users.
2. Debt
This refers to the act of defaulting due to not being able to pay back a loan.
It’s an unsustainable activity that almost everyone falls victim to, including companies and the government.
3. Agricultural Practices
There are quite a few agricultural industry practices deemed unsustainable due to the lasting negative impact they have on the environment and the people’s way of life.
Here are just some of the horrible consequences of engaging in these practices:
- Wildlife habitat loss due to land conversion
- Contamination of air, land, and water
- Wasteful water consumption
- Erosion and soil degradation
So, Is It Unsustainable or Sustainable?
We’re going to be blunt and say that most of what you’re doing in your everyday life probably isn’t sustainable.
Realistically speaking, it is incredibly difficult for most of the world’s population to adopt a completely sustainable lifestyle because of the expense it entails and the limited renewable resources available.
Still, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make an effort.
At the very least, we can start following achievable sustainability goals, like cutting unsustainable habits that we can survive going without.
Even with this, we might still be far off the mark of being totally sustainable.
However, one thing for sure is that we will be making progress, which is what counts most in the end.