Sustainability by Julian Burnham, Regional Impact Director

An interview on Sustainability with Regional Impact Director, Julian Burnham.

What does sustainability mean to you?

Before we get stuck in, let’s look at the definition of “sustainability”. It has a few meanings, but I would like to focus on this definition from the Oxford English Dictionary:

“The property of being environmentally sustainable; the degree to which a process or enterprise is able to be maintained or continued while avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources.”

What is the current state of the world and is it sustainable?

OK, doom & gloom time here but I am not going to apologise, the way we live today is not sustainable. We need to know these facts and we all need to do our bit to change them…

  • Every year humanity’s demand for ecological resources outstrips the Earth’s capacity to regenerate within that year.
  • We need over 1.75 earths in order to be able to provide the resources we currently consume and waste we create.
  • At current rate of over-fishing, we will run out of seafood by 2048, that is just 24 years!
  • So far this year over 980 million tonnes of food has been wasted.
  • Global population is forecast to be close to 10 billion by 2050, a number which current food systems will struggle to feed.
  • 21 million hectares of forest have been cut down or burned since the beginning of the year.
  • Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck load of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill.

Sources:

The above is just a small snapshot, there are many, many more facts about the state of our planet and its eco-system, do some research, it will drive you to make some changes.

All of this can be overwhelming, but we can all make a difference! As long as we read, talk, and share stories, both positive and negative, about the sustainability of our planet we can make change happen.

 

But what can we do about it?

Well, the first bit of good news is that the answer is quite a lot, the second is that the solution is not a new one.

 In the 1970’s two professors wrote a journal where they presented the concept of the “Socially Conscious Consumer”. Today we may use the same term, or possibly “Conscious Consumerism” or even “Conscious Capitalism” to describe a person, or the way that they shop and “consume” products. Whatever words you use the message is the same, people who think about what they buy and how they buy it in order to either limit the negative impact of their purchase or create positive impact.

Be one of them! Ask questions before you buy, do some research and understand the implications to others of your purchase. You may still buy it, but you will be educated and informed and that purchase will mean more to you. Whether it is a Rainforest Alliance certified coffee from a company that uses profits to lift someone out of homelessness, or a t-shirt produced in a fairtrade factory using organic cotton rather than one that you know nothing about, costs half the price but lasts half as long, it will make you feel good. (If you want to know more… 14 Hard Fast Fashion Facts and Statistics - Good On You)

 You can also shortcut this journey by seeking out products with certifications such as B Corp, Rainforest Alliance, or Soil Association Organic. The products and companies have been through an independent review process and have to meet pre-determined standards of environmental and ethical practices in order to be able to carry the certification.

So, buy less but buy better. Search “Find a B Corp” to view the B Corp directory. Ditch the bottled water, take your refillable bottle and use a re-usable coffee cup. Walk…it’s good for you.

Finally, keep positive, have (an ethically sourced and socially impactful!) coffee, talk to your friends and to para-phrase Mahatma Ghandi, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”.