"What is Sustainability?" Reflective Response

https://corporate.evonik.com/en/responsibility/cr-at-evonik

“Sustainability means enduring into the long-term future; it refers to systems and processes that are able to operate and persist on their own over long periods of time.” (Robertson, 2017, p. 3)

With the ever-growing climate change issues that are happening across the world, I find myself in dread, nervous about the future and how it will turn out. Our planet is quickly dying off and I’m scared and anxious. Scared for my future, the future of my family and friends, and the future of many generations to hopefully come long after we’re gone.

I can’t help but be crippled by the question… Will the planet even last that long?

Sustainability is the bright, white hope of our future. Being able to learn how to change even the smallest things in our lives, that can in turn have a monumental effect on the world and planet around us. Recycling plastic goods. Reusing materials and giving them a new life and purpose. Reducing our carbon footprint. It’s all the steps that take minimal effort in our daily lives that, coupled with other people’s efforts around us, will bring about change. Will that be enough?

When it comes down to it, I’m not certain that it is enough to reverse things, but I hope it is. It may seem ignorant, but I hope that there are systems and processes that will continue to persist on their own, repairing the damage that us humans have caused, and continue to cause, all in the guise of making a better life for ourselves.

Did we know the damage we were causing when we did it? Did we continue to push products and inventions that we knew, or had an inkling, were creating some damage around us, but not taking responsibility because at least 'it wouldn’t be something we saw come to fruition in our lifetime'? Now the biggest question of all… can we reverse the damage, or is it far too late?

Only time will tell. But, I've got my fingers crossed.

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Word Count: 305

References:

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and practice. Routledge.

*Photo Reference is captioned beneath the photo*