April 22 2009 the 39th Anniversary of Earth Day, it is important to remember that as we look to the natural world for healing, eating, and caring for our bodies because it is a better choice for us and the planet, we can just as easily be part of the problem using natural modalities if we make choices that are not “sustainable”.
Sustainable Development is a way of thinking that sees economic and environmental health as interlinked, mutually supportive goals. Sustainable Development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Since the 1970s “sustainability” was used to describe an economy “in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems”. The field of sustainable development is put into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, sociopolitical sustainability and economic sustainability.
“Unsustainable situations” are a result of nature’s resources being used up faster than replenished. Sustainability calls for human activity (dominion if you will) to ensure nature’s resources are able to be replenished naturally. The idea is that long-term environmental degradation is the inability to sustain human life, on a global scale could imply extinction for humanity.
Based on the three types of capital: natural (ecological), social, and economic, for which thoughtless use could be irreversible. While it may be possible to find ways to replace some natural resources, it is unlikely to replace eco-system services due to the multi-functionality of many natural resources. For example, forests not only provide raw material for paper, which can be substituted easily, but also maintain biodiversity, regulate water flow, and absorb CO2.
Natural capital, social capital and economic capital are often complementary and interrelated. The benefits of natural or social capital depletion are usually privatized but the costs are externalized; they are not borne by those responsible but by society in general. Natural capital is undervalued by society due to the lack of understanding the real cost of natural capital depletion, cause and effect is masked, making it difficult to make informed choices. Our natural resources are our money in the bank, only there is no overdraft protection.
Eco-efficiency and socio-efficiency lend themselves to increasing economic sustainability. In this process they utilize both natural and social capital to benefit win-win situations. So when considering purchases remember: natural, organic, local and Sustainable.
