Sustainability "Simplicated"
Recently, Cortney McDermott of the Huffington Post authored an article entitled sustainability: Simplicated Step 3: Find Your Sweet Spot. While the title of this article seems somewhat abstract, what McDermott does with this article is give a guide as to how each and every person can help with the process of making our earth more sustainable. She prompts readers to answer three questions:
What are your biggest
impacts?
What can you affect?
What are your unique
skills?
Let’s dive into each a little deeper:
What are your biggest
impacts?
No one wants to believe that they are harming the
environment. While not intentionally, we do all have some impact on the world
in which we live. This first question helps us to identify those factors. Do
you have a long commute in the morning? Perhaps you are contributing to the
pollution problem more than necessary. Do you not recycle? Do you have a habit
of littering? This will vary from person to person, so it really serves as a
valuable tool for all of us to look inward, and evaluate our behaviors.
What can you affect?
This is a powerful question. Often times, environmental and
sustainability issues seem very large and complex. We shy away from helping,
because we believe we can’t truly make a difference. While each individual may
not be able to directly impact the world,
we can directly impact the communities in which we live. By realistically
evaluating where you are at any given time, you can come up with simple, real
world solutions for ways that you can make a difference.
What are your unique
skills?
This is where personal evaluation skills come into play. Are
you a great gardener? Do you have a love for the ocean? Depending upon your
personal interests and skillset, you can tailor how you will make your
difference.
This model can also be applied on a larger scale, for
families and businesses, anyone or anything that makes an impact on the planet
which we live – and let’s be honest, that’s just about everyone. If we all do
our part, we can make a large scale impact.
Comments
Post a Comment
Let your knowledge, ideas, and innovation be heard. Tell us what you think and know about this topic.