I have been coming across so much recently about sustainability, organic living, social responsibility, local consumption and many such delightful terms. Often I wonder, if these terms have a consistent understanding among people; Starting with myself, do I even know what I mean by these words?
Thinking deeply on the term, “sustainability” – Ecologically, it is about how our bio-diversity can be enhanced and preserved; Socially, it is promoting equality and well being within our communities; and both these need to be met with the economic demands and constraints of the society.
If the last paragraph sounded a bit academic, my apologies!
So, what does one mean by sustainable living? I guess whatever day-to-day living choices we make should promote ‘sustainability’ as defined earlier one way or other. My living choices need to be affordable (economical), should benefit someone around me (social) and not degrade the environment directly or indirectly (ecological).
Couple of years ago, I stopped buying bottled water and instead started carrying water with me all the time. I believe this would reduce the 25 to 30 plastic bottles I otherwise contribute to trash. It made sense to me both economically and ecologically.
I also decided to consume as much as locally and organically grown food products – this reduced my food bill, ensured I was consuming fresh produce and has improved my overall health. And, I believe I am helping the local producers and doing my bit to preserve bio-diversity.
However, should we be consuming only local products? When I used to live in the US, I could not consume anything other than traditional Indian food everyday, which was certainly non-local. The globalization and our social obligations have introduced products and services that are not traditional or local in our lives – we explore multi-racial cuisines, travel around much more, and indulge in social activities that seem unsustainable.
Another wrinkle in my thinking comes from my hardcore vegan friends, who believe eating dairy products is unsustainable. As a country with the largest population of milch animals, which provide livelihoods to thousands of small and marginal farmers, I find this hard to digest. While I see alarming increase in factory production of milk and associated animal cruelty, I believe it is our responsibility to reverse this trend; There is a huge opportunity to promote better caring of animals, prevent cow slaughter and support our marginal farmers by consuming traditionally and organically produced dairy instead of boycotting in the name of sustainability.
So, where do I stand today? I consume locally grown organic food as much as possible, but will not mind consuming a pizza or Thai food or something similar once in a while. I use public transportation or ride my bicycle as much as possible to reduce fossil emission. I do not buy bottled water or take plastic bags, and reuse things as much as possible, so that I produce less waste.
I think each one of us can follow our own simple rules and create a better planet and society in our own ways.
Am I okay with this thought process?
Narayan K Murthy | narayan@goodseeds.in | +91 970.449.6664 |http://www.goodseeds.in
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