So what exactly is sustainability anyway? If you've researched the definition of sustainability you have probably learned how it is made up of three parts- economics, environment, and social. This is said in a bunch of different ways such as the Triple Bottom Line of business- people, planet, profit- which I have learned about in my business classes. To me this is only hitting the surface of sustainability, and that Growing into Sustainability is so much more than being more aware and conscientious in these areas.
To me, to be truly sustainable is to have a sustainable lifestyle that falls in line with these other sustainability definitions.
The best way to explain this is to look at someone who goes through cycles of fad dieting. Say this person goes through a cleanse diet, only eating shakes and things of that sort. The shakes themselves meet the three parts to the definition of sustainability if bought locally and organically. However, could you live your life on this diet for a long period of time? Absolutely not! That's why they're called fad diets, they're not created to last. Sustainability at its core hopes to use resources in a way that doesn't hinder future consumption so why can't we translate this into our lifestyle? What does it matter if we are environmental, economically, and socially aware but it's not something we can maintain?
To me a sustainable lifestyle is a large part of sustainability and something I want to focus on on this blog especially as a college student about to take on the real world. Some sustainable lifestyle goals that I have as a college student are becoming debt free (goodbye student loans! *fingers crossed*), working on creating habits that promote happiness in my life, and overall focusing on my health and wellbeing.
On this blog I want to take a look at ALL of these aspects, because all of them are a necessary part of sustainability. To me Growing into Sustainability is a journey and by no means a perfect one, but one that looks towards becoming a better citizen as well as a better advocate for myself.
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