What is Sustainability?
This is a complex concept but according to MyClimate, the ecological definition of Sustainability was originated with the Brundtland Report in 1987. Here, the sustainable development is described as the one that “satisfies the needs of the present without adversely affecting the conditions for future generations.” This means that a sustainable system (community, lifestyle, ecosystem) has to have the capacity to support itself and its surroundings in terms of resources on the following environment, society and economy, since these dimensions are connected.
Nowadays, our perception on Sustainability comes from the capacity (or the lack of it) for human civilization and the biosphere to coexist and we define healthy ecosystems and environments the ones that have a small human impact. That’s why is so important for us to adopt measures to keep this balance where the available resources don’t disappear before the ones naturally generated.
Why is Sustainability so important?
But why is this so important? Well, it is kind of selfish but the truth is we can’t maintain our quality of life as human beings if we don’t embrace a sustainable lifestyle. We will run out of fossil fuels and wood, breathable air, potable water, and usable area of land (that is disappearing because of the floods result of global warming and the ice mass melting). Not to mention the thousands of animal species that are being extinct every year. According to WWF, 10.000 species are disappearing every year and we are living a biodiversity crisis caused by human action, just because of our existence.
The way to do it? Having a sustainable lifestyle, starting in our own homes and communities. The fact is that we can make a difference but it has in a large scale. Don’t just recycle, tell your boss your company should do it. Don’t just upcycle, organize swap-clothes events with your friends. And first of all, we need to slow consumption speed. Buy less, be aware of what you have, give old things a new purpose. And inspire others to do the same.
The fact is that, beside all the numbers and figures, Sustainability isn’t binary (not either you are or not sustainable) but it's a process so people see how far they can go on this journey of becoming more sustainable.
That’s why we created AmoThreads, to try to do our part this way, avoiding hundreds of fabrics of going to waste with all the implications that brings like saving water and pollutants from the environment!
What are you doing to become more sustainable? We would love to hear you ideas, so let us know!