The TRUTH About Sustainability
Right off the bat, I want to say that I am glad you’re here. Thank you for caring about the planet and the future of it.
BUT…
We can all take it a little too far. Today, let’s talk about sustainability and how it also has to be sustainable for us, too.
What is “sustainable”?
I like the way that UCLA’s department of sustainability puts it:
“Sustainable practices support ecological, human, and economic health and vitality. Sustainability presumes that resources are finite, and should be used conservatively and wisely with a view to long-term priorities and consequences of the ways in which resources are used. In simplest terms, sustainability is about our children and our grandchildren, and the world we will leave them.”
Essentially, we often live unsustainably as an entire human race, but also individually. We consume too much, pollute too much, and if we keep it up, we will run out of certain resources. We can deplete the earth faster than it can replenish, and pollute faster than it sequesters the pollutants. This reminds me of Earth Overshoot day which you can learn more about here.
Oxford dictionary defines sustainable as “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.” This can be applied to how we consume Earth’s resources and also to our own lives! More on this soon.
What is sustainability?
Taken from definitions like those put forth by UCLA, sustainability has turned into an entire movement of sustainable living in which we all implement individual and collective action to live a life focused on conserving resources. And no, this is not a new concept. Indigenous communities have been living in harmony with the world without consuming more than they need for millennia. Even my own great-grandparents and grandparents conserved resources out of necessity for their bank accounts during and after the great depression. The point is, this is not just a new and trendy way to live, and many people still live a sustainable life out of budgetary necessity.
How does it relate to the modern zero-waste movement, though? Well, here is a brief history of zero waste and what it means today. Though Earth5R puts it well. They summarize by saying that zero waste often only focuses on trash itself. This is not a bad goal, but sustainability is a bit more well-rounded and focuses on emissions and intersectional issues and things of that nature. There is a ton of overlap with these terms!
Sustainable for our own lives, too
With the definitions out of the way, let’s get a little more philosophical.
In 2021, I got burnt out. I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I was so anxious that I couldn’t fix climate change by myself. Long story short (check out the full, old video here), something had to give. I felt like I should just quit zero waste because I was doing so much, and yet the planet wasn’t saved. So, what if I dialed it back a bit? What if I didn’t stress so much about making my own homemade mayo? What if I didn’t give up every scrap of free time I had to try to reach perfection?
I decided that my goal was no longer to be 100% zero waste but aim closer to 80-90% zero waste or “sustainable,” if you will. It was a hard thing to do in its own right. It was hard for me to consume a bit more plastic than I once did. It was hard to give myself time for hobbies again vs just making every single thing from scratch and so on. But it was so worth it. Because here I am, nearly 5 years later, still living a sustainable life.
No, this is not an excuse to live as wastefully as possible! We still have a responsibility to be good stewards of the planet and reduce our consumption as much as we can, recycle properly, and curb our own emissions as much as we can, because every small positive action adds up! But it’s just meant to be a relief that the weight of the world is not on your shoulders alone, and perfection is impossible.
Start small and start reasonably
I get it. I wanted to dive headfirst into zero waste, and I kinda did, and that’s how I ended up burnt out and nearly quitting before I really even began. So my best advice is to start small.
You don’t need to buy every single zero-waste swap today. You don’t need to learn to mend, and make sourdough, and sew on a button, and how to cook from scratch all at the same time. Pick one thing to tackle at a time.
Maybe that looks like one zero-waste swap per week or per month in conjunction with one zero-waste habit change per week or month. This is just me brainstorming, but take this as inspiration:
January — SWAP: reusable water bottle; HABIT: be mindful of water consumption
February — SWAP: bamboo toothbrush; HABIT: learn how to recycle properly
March — SWAP: reusable grocery bags; HABIT: learn how to freeze food to prevent food waste
April — SWAP: shampoo bar; HABIT: learn how to compost
So on and so forth. That way, it’s more structured, so you won’t feel so lost, and it’s much more attainable than trying to do 100 swaps and 100 habit changes right here, right now.
If you’re looking for more guidance in this area, I highly recommend you check out my Zero Waste in a Year Guide. This guide walks you through daily eco tips for a full 360 days. You can start it January first, sure, but it’s designed to be started any day of the year and completed as you see fit. We cover one new topic every month, and most of the tips and swaps are free habit changes, so you will do nothing but save money on your low-waste journey.
If you’re still not sure if the Zero Waste in a Year Guide is right for you, watch this video first for more details.
Getting out of the burnout
But maybe you’re not a beginner, and you feel the sustainability burnout creeping in. Now what?
To put it simply, dial it back. I’d rather everyone try to just hit 90% zero waste versus 100% than to fully quit the lifestyle and be back to 0% eco-friendly. If you want to dial it up again in the future, that’s fine. But burnout is hard to recover from when you reach that point. It’s best to avoid burnout and take a small step back from trying to be perfect.
If you find yourself stressing too much about your carbon footprint or physical waste…that’s harder advice to give. Obviously, I want everyone to be cognizant of their environmental impact; we all have one! But that doesn’t mean I want us all to feel guilty for just existing. We have no control over being born and where we were born, and so forth. But we have all the control over this precious life we’re given. Let’s take action for good!
But what do we do about that nagging voice in our head telling us it’s our fault or that we’re not doing enough? Well, it depends on each person. Some folks may see a benefit in talking to a therapist to unpack why they may feel that way. Some folks may just need to log off of social media after a certain point of usage or time of day to prevent that comparison we all feel when consuming the highlight reel that is social media. Others may just be able to turn that voice off. You may have to try a few of these before you find what works for you, but for me, honestly, I just quit listening to that voice and started being gentler with myself.
It’s not a “mistake” to use plastic when our world runs on it. It’s okay to buy medication in plastic or fruit packaged in it to meet my health goals and needs. It’s not my fault that I have to drive a car when my town doesn’t have sidewalks or bike lanes. I hope you can start to structure your thinking like this, too.
Again, it’s hard because I still truly believe that our small actions matter! Every piece of plastic we avoid is good, and every time we bike instead of driving is good. But if we don’t have a choice but to partake in something wasteful, that’s out of our control, and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for that.
The balancing act
Again, this is all really hard to portray and maybe also conceptualize on your end. Our small actions matter to build a more sustainable world, and we all have a part to play in getting there, but the state of the world is not your fault or mine alone. We were born and raised in these wasteful systems. It’s hard to break wasteful habits but also find eco swaps and habits amidst this wasteful world, where overconsumption is the norm.
At the end of the day, sustainability is going to be different for everyone. The way you live sustainably for the planet and how you make it sustainable for you, too.
Just be sure to remember the Oxford Dictionary definition: “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.” If you can’t maintain a sustainable life, then it’s not sustainable for you, or, quite frankly, the planet. Make it work for you! There is not one-size-fits all to living an eco life.
I hope you enjoyed this, found it hopeful, and maybe inspiring. If you did, be sure to share it with others!
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
