Sustainability is in essence the lifeblood of the world. It allows earth to continue spinning well after every human on it at this moment is long forgotten.
There is constant debate in many circles about the true definition of the word, Most including multiple pillars and a variety of scenarios to depict what I believe is an incredibly simple answer.
Leaving the question looming, What is Sustainability Definition?
Richard Feynman
I enjoy the Feynman Technique when defining terms that many people have a difference of opinion on. Richard believed that simplicity was the proxy for understanding. With the idea that taking a topic that is hard to understand and simplifying it for clarification purposes so it could easily be expressed to a child.
This is a rather straightforward method of decoding what was once complex information and regurgitating it to a degree that anyone could get the concept, even the youngest of our kind.
Feynman Technique
The technique is typically done in 4 simple steps
- Study- You want to learn the information that you’re interested in. I imagine that is what you are doing now. The key is remembering that simplicity is the key your goal isn’t blind memorization but learning the core elements of the topic to gain understanding of the entire idea
- Teach- This is exactly what it seems, teach the information you learned to someone else. If you are an introvert you can just act like you are teaching but I believe it is much easier to teach someone so that you know you were able to get the idea across effectively. Be sure to demonstrate the information as clearly as possible
- Fill in what is missing- You can only do this after trying to each the information to someone else. You will undoubtedly find you lack certain elements of the topic. This insight may be gained after questions are asked that you drew blanks on or while you were explaining found you lacked the knowledge to go in depth about a particular aspect etc. This step is one used to fill the gaps by learning the concepts you missed the first time around.
- Simply- This is the integral step. You will take everything you learned and simplify it to the point that a child would understand. In the perfect world the 3 steps would have allowed you improve your knowledge on the given subject. Simplifying it will solidify your understanding by focusing on the basics of the subject. You must keep in mind children have limited knowledge and vocabularies. Breaking a subject down to this degree forces you to grasp how the different components fit and in effect helps you master the topic.
What is Sustainability Definition?
Sustainability is living your life in a way that allows for you and everyone around you to live again tomorrow and the next day for your entire lifetime as well as theirs. This should last forever, for you, your future kids and their kids.
Environmental Sustainability
When you eat food, you are taking away something from this earth that needed water, soil and bees to produce. That can mean a burger that came from a cow that drank water and ate grass/wheat that was pollinated by a bee. The grass/wheat was grown in the soil and it was all given freely by the earth. When you are done eating that burger the cow that supplied it to you is already gone. Sustainability is making sure that even though you already ate the burger there is enough water, soil, grass/wheat and bees left for another cow so you and anyone else can have a burger tomorrow and the next do for many lifetimes.
This goes for anything that the earth provides. Wood to build houses, gas for cars, water for drinking and bathing and oxygen for breathing. Sustainability means using these items responsibility to make sure that they remain here for you and others to use after ward. If someone cut down all the trees to build houses or use for starting fires then there would be no trees left for houses in the future, and no oxygen left to breathe. The air here would become toxic and people and animals would die because people weren’t living sustainability.
Social Sustainability
Is based on community and life. You are different from everyone else in the world, the term unique serves best. Being unique is a right that everyone has . Social sustainability means that even though you and everyone else in the world are unique they are all still given access to the same things. This can mean medical care, food, clean water, public services, safety. No one should be left out because they are different. This can mean they serve a different god, have a different religion, have a different shade of skin or were born in a different state or country. Social sustainability demands that they have access to the same quality of life as anyone else.
In terms of business and corporations social sustainability means that the people that work that are just as important as the profits their jobs makes. They do not come second and employees have rights. No matter who they are individually each employee should have access to pay, opportunities and progression. They should also all be protected from poor working conditions and harassment.
Economic Sustainability
This is based on goods and services provided to all individuals. Economic sustainability is a market place that can provide a lot of different types of items forever. You don’t want to go to a store and buy a tv and find out after your tv breaks or you want a new one that every tv in world is sold and they can no longer be bought. Economic sustainability prevents things like this from happening. The market should move in a circle with supply being fulfilled when people want or need something, while also making sure that that same item or something similar will be available for a person who wants it one year from now or ten years from now.
This means making money without running out of items to sale. Being able to transport items from person to person without slowing down the creation of those items or even worse preventing future creation of those items. Perfect economic sustainability would be one that makes enough money to remain in operation forever while provided anybody from anywhere the opportunity to get any item they want if they are able to pay for without running or having unnecessary delays.
Simplicity
In general you can think of sustainability as a daily choice to make sure that everything that is used is replaced for others in the future. This goes for the environment, economics and society.
Did the Feynman Technique help you understand the concept better I would you rather the traditional approach to learning? Let me know in the comments.
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