(via instagram from my October visit to Sacramento)
Nearly 6 years after starting this little blog, with the smallest of intentions (to document my summer abroad), I feel like my experiences and knowledge and interests and passions are all finally converging upon a single point.In light of Cassie's post today about actually having an opinion and putting it out there, it's time to start unpacking and connecting all these different things that get me fired up. It can pretty much be summed up into a single word: Sustainability.
As I was taught in school, specifically a college course titled Sustainability (much much more on that to come), the most comprehensive definition comes from the March 20, 1987 United Nations Bruntland Commission. "Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Seems simple right? Sustainability is essentially the center of a Venn diagram of economics, environment/ecology, and social justice. It's an idea that seems like a win-win-win yet people still reject the entire concept. I'm a big picture person, so sustainability instantly made sense to my brain and I was 100% behind it. It's an expansion on the environmentalist movement, which many people disdain as it appeared to put the earth and animals AHEAD of humans (and of course there are those who couldn't see how that would help their bottom line). The UN definition more accurately captures the fact that all is interconnected and if we can find the balance between the three, then all three aspects will benefit.
Sustainability has a role in everything: food, consumer products, construction, transportation, business models, etc. I've been on board with this for awhile, constantly researching and trying to share with friends and the occasional family member. My problem is that I lack the tools to communicate effectively to strangers and to actually defend my position in the instance of differing opinions and backlash. What does any of this have to do with travel? I think it starts with the perspective that comes with traveling; experiencing another culture, another ecosystem and place. Traveling provides depth for the idea of globalization, while I think technology, which has allowed globalization to happen and has benefited immensely, actually narrows and obscures what globalization truly means. Traveling exposes me to other people, putting faces to the compassionate social justice reasons for sustainability. The incredible sights I've seen reinforce the desire to preserve both the natural and built environment for future generations (and in doing so - also ensuring that there ARE future generations that are healthy and happy).
There's a lot that I want to say and I'm going to do my best to sort and organize it all. My plans for this little corner of the web will also include lots of travel, past trips as well as future (Africa!).
2 comments:
Thanks so much for the shout-out. (I'm glad my post sparked you to speak up!) This is such an important discussion to have, and I think it's great you plan on delving into it more. So many people have a hard time seeing the benefits of long-term solutions, including those sustainability provides, and I think that's a shame. I'd love to read your thoughts about what individuals can do to be more sustainable in their daily lives. I think a lot of people are overwhelmed with where to start and feel like their contribution won't make a difference. But the reality is, if we ALL pitched in, we'd see those long-term benefits sooner than we probably realize.
Cassie, I am so excited to begin to break down big topics into more manageable pieces. There are SO many different sides to sustainability and it hardly ever mentioned in mainstream media other than "trendy celebrities". And you are so right, while it may be difficult for one person to make a difference, many individuals make up a whole that can accomplish incredible things!
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