Feb 2019: What does “Sustainable” even mean?

http://www.ecocelon.lk/

As I continue to write these posts, I have noticed that some of my friends and family have increasingly asked for clarification on what environmental terms mean. Because I studied Environmental Science in college and have been an environmentalist for many years of my life, I may not have realized that others don’t know the exact meanings of all the terms. At the same time, I have noticed how businesses and brands have started to use buzzwords such as “green” and "all-natural” in a lot of their marketing. I would like to clarify these terms as best as possible, so we can a) better understand the topics, b) better improve the sustainability of our lifestyles, and c) sort through marketing buzzwords and determine what is worth purchasing.

Main topics:

· sustainability: Sustainability is the keyword of this blog and website. Sustainability as a whole refers to the goal of maintaining the world’s natural resources at a certain healthy level. You can think of it as “sustaining” (strengthening or supporting) the world’s ecosystems so that they can live and regenerate themselves for years to come, as opposed to depleting resources, for example, by cutting all the trees down in a forest or poaching all the whales from the ocean. Therefore, by being a sustainable human (consumer), we promote the livelihood and health of the world’s ecosystems by not using more resources than the world can provide on a regular (healthy) basis.

-Not using more products than necessary (i.e. excessive clothing) and not using products that are especially unhealthy for the environment (i.e. excessive plastic packaging that can pollute the ocean) are examples of being a sustainable consumer and promoting sustainability.

· environmentally-friendly (or eco-friendly): These two terms, in my mind, are mostly synonymous. This is because the “eco” part of “eco-friendly” is short for ecologically, which describes processes in the environment. Therefore we’re talking about the same kind of thing. Altogether, these terms refer to something that does not contribute to destroying the environment, supports the health of the environment, or promotes protection of the environment.

-For example, a paper cup will be environmentally-friendly as opposed to a plastic cup because, when placed into the environment (say, the soil), the paper cup will break down quickly and easily, contributing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen to the soil which can add nutrients for plants to utilize. Meanwhile, the plastic cup contains more complicated compounds that do not easily break apart into nutrients that plants can use. If they do, it can take hundreds to thousands of years. Moreover, if the plastic cup is colored, animals may mistake it for food, which can poison their bodies and lead to a less healthy food chain and ecosystem over time. [See biodegradable below].

· green: From my understanding, this term is pretty much synonymous with environmentally-friendly and eco-friendly. It is a color-associated word that I’m guessing relates to the greenness of leaves in nature (which should be protected, lol).

Related Terms:

· biodegradable: This term refers to something’s ability to “biodegrade” or break down into smaller pieces or elements when exposed to the right environmental conditions. These environmental conditions usually involve sunlight, water, and/or oxygen, because these things help speed up chemical processes and help bacteria/fungi eat stuff. This biodegradation process consists of dead things rotting and “returning to the soil”, allowing the soil to provide enough nutrients to support new living organisms (i.e. budding flowers).

-One caveat to remember about biodegradation is that the benefits are only real depending on the material. For example, a dead fox’s biodegrading body provides a wide range of elements to the soil, and a paper plate provides a few elements too (that any tree product would); these materials are nutrient rich and also “leave no trace”. However, a plastic shampoo container, for example, first breaks down into tiny “microplastic” pieces, before eventually chemically breaking down into several compounds that enter the soil. It may take hundreds of years for the microplastic pieces to actually reach the chemical break-down stage, meaning you have colored microplastic pellets persisting in the environment, being eaten by animals, and wreaking havoc on their digestive systems (and eventually whatever eats them). [See environmentally-friendly or eco-friendly above].

-Therefore, even when a type of plastic container says “biodegradable”, it wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing for that container to biodegrade. It is important to only recognize the value of “biodegradable” when it applies to materials that are naturally sourced and not potentially toxic: paper, wood, cotton, etc.

· compostable: This term refers to something’s ability to “compost”, which is the process of organic matter decomposing and turning into nutrient-rich soil. Only organic matter, the remains of plants and animals and their waste products, can be used in composting. Therefore a tin can or plastic bottle is unlikely to successfully decompose in a compost bin, but potato skins, spinach, and newspaper (derived from a tree) will usually successfully decompose. The larger the composting bin or facility, the more they can break down stuff because the nutrient mix and heat level are higher. Learn more about home composting and commercial composting here!

· recyclable: I would guess that most people know this term before they know the other terms. This term refers to something’s ability to be recycled. This usually refers to paper products, glass, metals, and plastics, although the specific kinds of each vary depending on your local city’s recycling capacity. [See my post Environmental Basics: Recycling 101 for more information].

· renewable: This term refers to things (or resources) that are not depleted when used. One of the most common uses of this word is “renewable energy”, examples of which include solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy. These are renewable energy sources because the total amount of sunlight, wind, and geothermal heat in the world does not decrease when we utilize some for energy. For example, by capturing sun energy through solar panels, it does not mean there is suddenly less sunlight or that it suddenly becomes a cloudy day. On the other hand, coal burning as a source of energy is not a renewable resource because the coal that was extracted from the mine is no longer there, and there are a finite number of coal reserves in the earth.

-This term is highly related to sustainability because utilizing renewable energy will not quickly wipe out natural resources. Instead, utilizing something that is renewable helps sustain earth’s resources because it is not depleting any of them. Therefore, using renewable resources is another example of being a sustainable consumer.

Other Topics:

· minimalism: This term refers to a lifestyle of intentionally living with less things and buying less things in order to better value the things you do own and re-evaluate what is truly important in your life (family, friends, etc.). Minimalism can be associated with sustainability because as a minimalist you do not consume excess products and therefore consume at a sustainable level. Learn more about it here.

· zero-waste: This term refers to a lifestyle that aims to reduce or eliminate all waste (so that your “trash” is either recycled, composted, or reused, but never shipped to a landfill). It highly encourages the practice of cooking/making/mending your own things, and using reusable containers whenever possible. This is an extraordinary example of sustainability, one which I am trying to follow myself! To learn about one California-based chef who champions this, check this out.

If you have any questions or have a different term that you would like defined, please leave a comment below! :)