Being green does not mean, nor is it equivalent to being sustainable. These two ideas have been merged in the general consciousness, but they are not the same. While there is overlap, being sustainable entails planning and greater thought. There is no doubt that being green is fashionable. Whether it has the staying power necessary to implement the change that is needed to make a difference in the world remains to be seen. What will happen in the long term? Will the fad fall out of fashion? Perhaps the green movement will have staying power, but being truly sustainable is a mindset. Sustainability encompasses economic and social equity issues, in addition to the environmental concern of the green movement.

People should not live somewhere if the land can’t support them. This is sustainability at its heart. If the land is not fertile, then it cannot support crops. Do not misinterpret this as an endorsement of a wholesale population shift to temperate climates. As Jared Diamond pointed out in his 2005 book Collapse, Inuit and other groups native to the Arctic regions have survived for thousands of years on a diet of animal products (fish and other arctic fauna). They have thrived in a climate that is not conducive to vegetation, while Icelandic immigrants to Greenland, who tried to impose their pastoral way of life, died out in less than 500 years. In short, subsistence = sustainability. That is not to say if you cannot grow bananas in your neighborhood you have to give them up. It’s not a bad idea to do so, but not entirely necessary. A reading of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (reviewed here) gives one an appreciation of the concerted effort needed to raise one’s own food. Local food and energy production are essential components of engineering a sustainable society.

I am not advocating for a complete abandonment of worldly pleasures, but rather a smart approach to living. Live within your means. Sustainability requires a regenerative economy and a intentional approach to life. In other words, one cannot live a sustainable existence if they do not consciously consider the impact of their actions and behaviors. Those that say sustainability is only about ensuring there is enough for the next generation take an overly literal view. The idea is that we need to be self-sufficient and self-reliant in order to subsist and sustain ourselves and ultimately to survive.

- Eric Wilson