Hello and welcome back to Leeds RAG. In this post we are super excited to introduce the newest member of our writing team, Aerielle Rojas! As a Fashion Technology Student, as well as a Sustainability Architect, Aerielle is more than equipped to help us tackle this challenging question about the true meaning behind the word sustainability. What does it mean to be truly sustainable? Is recycling and shopping second-hand enough? Read on to join the complex discussion regarding this potentially confusing word.
Sustainability has been a large part of our content here at the LRFS blog, especially through our beloved Sustainability Saturdays. But we’d like to take a break and get down to a fundamental question: what does sustainability ACTUALLY mean?
Going back, sustainability was first defined by the World Commission on Environmental Development, (WCED), in 1987 as sustainable development defined as: development that allows the present generation to meet their needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own. From this we can understand that sustainability is the broad concept of not harming the environment that surrounds us, or its resources. It also incorporates a social theme of considering others in future generations. However, despite this definition giving a feel for the overall common good, much of this is left open to interpretation. What else does sustainability involve? What else can it mean when we think of positive impact?
Most importantly, what does this mean for us?
It’s important to understand that as people with voices, privilege, impact and potential, we view sustainability as working towards the common good, but in an interconnected way. This is exceptionally important now, given how our world is transforming the way we live. Sustainability is no longer just environmental or limited to one subject- it’s social, ethical, economic, collaborative, and a responsibility shared by all.
This idea of sustainability is reflected by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, (see our previous article on it here). Their second development goal, ‘Zero Hunger’, incorporates economic, environmental and social dimensions to prevent widespread malnourishment. They call upon social humanitarian aid initiatives, sustainable agricultural practices, and the increase of agricultural production to devise solutions and reduce the hunger rate. ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ development goal number eight also reinforces sustainability’s integrated accountability. It incorporates a social priority for employees to receive living wages from jobs with safe conditions and emphasises how this work can further economic growth.
Now that we get an understanding of sustainability’s nature, what does this look like for us?
We don’t just recycle our trash, we also make sure to highlight the importance of giving through charity. We don’t just shop for endless reusable straws and cups, we ask ourselves what we need to purchase first. We shouldn’t just preach about the dangers of climate change, we should make plans to approach it and reduce its negative impacts. We don’t limit sustainability to a select few, we make sure to celebrate diversity and new ideas.
In a recent Vogue Business article on redefining sustainability, Timo Rissanen, an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney reinforces this idea of creating new challenges outside of the sustainable solutions box. He explains how others ‘dare only imagine ‘solutions’ that fit into the existing system and its values and goals’. It is imperative that we dare to think and challenge ourselves on what our preconceived notions of sustainability are, in order to make a long-lasting and significant difference.
Here at LRFS, we want to encourage our readers to view sustainability as versatile, inclusive, and something everyone can relate to! When we share this understanding of sustainability’s broad nature, we can create a new definition through our action-together.
And who knows, maybe it can start in Leeds, with us.
LRFS x