“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” according to the UN World Commission on Environment and Development. This information was retrieved from the UCLA Sustainability website.1
I have been procrastinating again. I think I am intimidated by the word sustainable because it sounds like a specialized scientific field. However, I have been learning about ecology for over 50 years, so I think I know something about the field. What it means to me is that I will leave a world for my children and grandchildren and their descendants that will be healthy for them. It’s hard for me to see all the plastic that goes into garbage bins, knowing now that that plastic will be found in our bodies. It is hard for me to see all the gas-powered cars on the road, not to mention trucks and planes. It is very hard for me to see our government make damaging choices for the vast majority of the world. I’m sure there will be difficulties in the future, even if we do what we can to remove carbon from our air and fuels, but we know these things are harmful. Let's get rid of them.
So what do I do now? I recycle everything I can, including textiles, and drive an electric car. I wear clothing past the “stylish” trend - yes, I’m old - and help my neighbors whenever I can. I am not allowed to garden vegetables, and the Association sprays the lawns every year or two. I have made my concerns known. I donate books I have read to the library for its book sales. Yet I am certain that there is much more I can do, which is why I chose this topic. I want to learn what I can do to waste less food (I know I should shop at Costco less) and how I can employ sustainable spending. I feel helpless when the government transfers vast quantities of wealth upward, knowing that it can cause market collapse, but maybe there is something I can do about that as well. Come along on my adventure. It’s free!
1 https://sustain.ucla.edu/what-is-sustainability/,accessed 6/21/26.
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