Sustainability and Consumption

Essentially the principle of sustainability means that waste equals food in the sense that nutrients must be recycled in a system. Someone's waste is another persons food. This may seem extreme but it becomes realistic when you think about crossing social classes or human to animal boundaries. The consumption of food and products is one of the greatest way humans can change how sustainable they are. There is no "away" in throwing garbage away. What we consume as people, waste, must be placed somewhere, whether that is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the local County waste facility or underground in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Human consumption waste includes old tires, uneaten food, food and product packaging, nuclear waste, and basically anything that you would toss into the garbage. There are three ways to get rid of waste: Landfills, recycling, and incineration. Recycling is one way to combat the great amounts of waste humans produce. Recycling is not enough and does not solve the waste problem. Humans must consume less to produce less waste.

Being sustainable means being conscious of the choices you make and the ramifications to the environment because of those choices. It is important to understand that what you buy, use, and waste effects the natural life cycles of the earth. Sustainability socially means living in as much of a balance with the environment as is possible. Consumption is an important way to show sustainability in a personal life. Since we live in a capitalist society the choices buyers make effects the supply and demand of certain products. Buying sustainable products is one way of exhibiting a sustainable lifestyle. Sustainability can include driving cars less, taking more efficient transportation, and being mindful of the hidden costs of products. Though it may seem like a cost efficient choice to buy a product currently there is little legislation that makes the producer or buyer pay for the carbon emissions from transporting the good. The natural resources used to make the product, waste from production, and transportation pollution all effect the environment and my not necessarily be sustainable. Researching companies of products can ensure that you are paying what you are buying without economically endorsing a company that is harming the environment.

Sustainability is often used as a blanket term for being environmentally friendly, but more than that it means being responsible for our actions in order for the planet to sustain human life in a healthy way.