Sustainability

Sustainability.

It's a buzz word.

You hear it in relation to agriculture, and energy and industry.

It's the mantra of the new"green" culture.

Sustainability.

The dictionary defines it thusly: the capacity to endure.

Simply....doing what we need to do with no negative impact on our earth...

so that we could continue to do it for eternity. 

We as a society are re-examining our farming techniques.  Modern agriculture, under the present agribusiness system is not sustainable.  We clear our land with herbicides, treat our crops with pesticides,

erode our once rich soil with crops that remove nutrients.  Then we think we are replenishing those nutrients by dumping industrial fertilizers on our land, that eventually pollute our waterways.

And for this, we grow....what? 

Corn

or soybeans.

These are the raw ingredients from which chemists manufacture substances that we have 

come to know as food.  Substances in boxes and bags that have ingredient lists that read

more like chemical soup.

Sustainable?

Not on your life.

Our society is examining the sources from which we draw our energy.  Up to this point....and some would have us continue....we have relied upon fossil fuels to meet our ever growing thirst for energy.  There is a finite supply of fossil fuels....not to mention the impact that they have on our environment.

Sustainable?

Not on your life.

Industry is in need of a re-examination, also.  We manufacture low quality items with planned obsolescence with the goal of economic growth rather than producing quality items that last.   We fill our landfills with plastics that will never decay... not to mention the health risks these plastics pose.  

Sustainable?  

Not on your life.

Or mine.

Or anyone's, for that matter.

Sustainability.

It needs to be more than just a concept that we think of with respect to 

agriculture and industry.

It needs to be our way of life.

It's simple and it should be the rule for everything that we do in life.

Everything.

Even our relationships....the way we treat ourselves and each other.

Everything.

The measure of each and every thing we do should be...."could I continue to do this forever and have no negative effects on myself, others, or my world?"

Think about it.

If we approached our relationships this way,

how much better would our world be?

If we thought of the impact each one of our actions has on our world and each other....

well, just imagine......

It sounds difficult, but I believe it is easier than you think.

To me, sustainability is all about love....

loving our world...

loving each other....

loving ourselves...

And placing that above all else.

If every thing we did was motivated by that kind of love....

Our world would be sustainable....

forever,

and ever.

Sustainability....

it's for each and every one of us to strive for.

For now.....just try love....

love the earth and all of its inhabitants a little better.

Oh, and plant a garden! 

Sustainable?
You bet your life!