Understanding sustainability, the Hawking style

Julio F. Campos

After my last post, I received a most interesting reader comment about why everything about sustainability is so complicated and formal.

As an example, the reader presented the example do Stephen Hawking, (hence the post title), to which I could add an enormous list of other scientists that are able to translate their most complicated researches into easy to understand way for the scientific illiterate community.

However, the problem is that being a multidisciplinary field, sustainability demands the explanation of a series of concepts from a large number of scientific fields. Which is time-consuming when considered the vast range of knowledge levels of the audience.

It's not impossible though. Paradoxically sustainability, or better, what to do to be sustainable can actually be put through only two sentences.

Here they are:

To explain sustainability to corporations:

"There is no such thing as sustainable growth"

To explaining sustainability to the people:

"Stop buying what you don't really, really, need"

Because we're overshooting, plain simple (if one needs to explain that to you, either you're not a sustainability professional, and that's fine, in this case just follow the link, or...)

So, as one can see, with basically those two thumbs up rules that we must implement and we will go over halfway through a sustainable way of life.

"Easier to say than do"

If you find the answer to why its so, then you'll know why, after over 40 years discussing the subject, after numerous conferences and standards and goals set to be achieved we are still STUCK at the same place since the 70's and why It's NOT  going to change at all.

There you have it. How to be sustainable is pretty easy to explain, how to make it happen is the real deal.

Many are trying. Maybe a lost battle when we see that one of the newest goals (SDG 8) cherished by the corporations is:

"Promote inclusive and SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH, employment and decent work for all"

So, it's not complex or difficult to understand how do be sustainable and implement it in our daily lives, as persons or corporations.

"Behind the office closed doors, the corporate sustainability speech is different"

 Making it happens, now, not that simple right.

But be honest, how many corporations are willing to really do that?

The one that you work for?

How many sustainability "teachers" of are explaining this?

Are you?

Was this article interesting to you? 
If you like it, help us sharing the post. Thank you
Please, share your experience with us bellow.