What is Sustainability?

Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism. Embedded in most definitions of sustainability we also find concerns for social equity and economic development.

There are so many simple ways you can be more sustainable at home. To start with, you can make sure you turn off any electric appliances or lights when you’re not using them, reduce your water intake (take shorter showers), and recycle when you can. We’ll go into more specifics in the questions and answers that follow. 

Why is sustainability important?

The main goal of sustainability is to protect the planet so that future generations don’t have to suffer. Ultimately, we only have finite resources on this planet, but we’re currently not being considerate of that.

Our actions now shouldn’t be at the expense of our fellow creatures or humans, so it’s important to be aware of sustainability in our daily lives so we don’t cause more irreparable damage to Earth.

What are the 3 pillars of sustainability?

The three pillars of sustainability are the three most fundamental aspects of sustainability, and they are environment, economy and society. All of them, directly and indirectly, impact each other – none of these pillars stand alone.

Therefore, it’s important to consider everything when we’re talking about sustainability, from materials and wastage to human treatment and working conditions.

What are some examples of sustainability?

There are so many ways to be sustainable. One example is green energy – wind power, for example, is a free, natural, and infinite resource that doesn’t cause harm to others, but does help to keep society functioning.

Another good example is creating, maintaining, and looking after green spaces. This is because green spaces and plants improve air quality, protect water quality and reduce soil erosion, to name a few benefits.

Do you need to be rich to be sustainable?

You may have noticed that a lot of sustainable shops, whether they’re selling clothes, food or skincare, are pretty expensive. This makes it appear quite costly to be sustainable, but it needn’t be the case.

A lot of sustainable practices originated from a desire to save money; for example, using less energy, not buying unnecessary products, and not wasting food.

How can I be more sustainable at home?

There are so many simple ways you can be more sustainable at home. To start with, you can make sure you turn off any electric appliances or lights when you’re not using them, reduce your water intake (take shorter showers), and recycle when you can. We’ll go into more specifics in the questions and answers that follow. 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

WHAT ARE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS?

The 17 SDGs (sometimes called ‘The GlobalGoals’) is a collection of independent but interconnected goals carefully designed to give all of us on our planet a better future, with hundreds of targets and measurement indicators geared toward a date of 2030. The goals were created with businesses in mind, providing a path – what some people refer to as a “Pathway for Humanity” — for any business to harness their power by directing their efforts toward specific global objectives.

The goals themselves to be simple and direct, but powerful, ranging from ending poverty to building sustainable cities. Any individual can find something on the diverse list of SustainableDevelopment Goals to work toward. Small and medium-sized businesses, however, are uniquely positioned to make significant impacts on

In a competitive world where many businesses struggle to survive, there seems to be little capital or effort to spare for anything other than the operations of the business itself. This makes it easy for even the most generous of entrepreneurs to say that “one day”, perhaps when their enterprise has grown, they can start using their success to do good in the world.

But businesses need to learn quickly that they don’t have to wait. From adopting simple changes in their day-to-day operation to giving back small amounts to a high-impact charity that aligns with one of the goals, every business, big or small can start right now.

PICK A GOAL

Start easy by choosing a goal that resonates with you and your business most. Or if you can’t decide yet, explore the whole list of options below and pick out some ideas.