Sustainable. Shublainable. What Does It Mean?

Have you heard this word a little too much lately?  I have.  It’s not a bad word at all, but the public perception of this word’s meaning, whatever that may be, is being used in marketing campaigns to sell products and to support causes and platforms so much lately that it’s giving a great word a bad rap. 

What does it mean, literally?  Dictionary.com gives us the following:  1) a system that maintains its viability by allowing for continual reuse; 2) able to be maintained or kept going; and 3) able to be supported with basic necessities or sufficient funds. 

Definitions #1 and #2 above explain our current parlance of the word “sustainable”.  If you’ll recall, you began hearing this word in the mid-2000’s in the context of “does it take oil?” or “does it hurt the planet?”. 

As for oil, let’s admit that we didn’t give it much of a second thought until a terrorist event happened on our soil and we went to war against these terrorists. Indeed, our men and women of the Armed Forces are still dying in the fight against these terrorists.  And the primary arena for this war?  The middle east.  And what does this region represent?  Oil.  Oh sure, it’s not the only place that oil exists on this planet, there just happens to be quite a lot of it there and therefore the place matters to us because let’s face it, we can’t live without oil.  Not today anyway.  There are no substitute energy sources at this time that can support the processes, productions, transportations and lifestyles that oil supports and to the degree oil supports them – those last 6 words being the central to this point.  So, finding sustainable alternate energy sources are crucial to our survival, as is conserving and using wisely this most precious resource - oil.  

As for the ecology, well sustainability in the context of a green planet matters because we need clean water, good food, fresh air and even pretty sights in order to survive.  Of course, ecology is a big word and eco-systems are really big systems and then to complicate it all, the population of the planet is a really big population.  It’s no laughing matter, this trying to figure out how all of us can eat, drink, breath and work on this big ole planet. 

There is a third definition for "sustainable" above - “able to be supported with sufficient funds” and this, quite frankly, is the intuitive thought process I’ve always had with regard to my budget – my income – and I suspect you have had as well.  It is in some ways a fluid question because budgets and incomes may change.  Do I want a lawn service?  Well, is it sustainable within my budget?  Is it the best use of my money?  Is it the best use of my time?  Is it the best use of my lawn?  Do I want a $50.00 haircut?  Well, is it sustainable within my budget?  Is it the best use of my money?  Is it the best use of my time?  Is it the best use of my hair?  These are freshman questions that involve bank accounts and assets.  There are times when the budget allows for luxuries like housecleaning services, sportscars, trips to Patagonia and times when it does not.  Or let’s reduce it down.  There are times when the budget allows a family of four to have dinner every Friday at their favorite restaurant and other times when the best treat a family can afford is a BOGO (buy one get one free) of Breyers Ice Cream from the Kroger.

I say all this to point out that sustainability, at least in the context of a budget, has been, or should have been, in our minds all along.  We work and distribute our earned income in order to survive and to hopefully play a little, too.  We do this with thought process, with an eye towards continuity of resources, and maybe with the knowledge that a rainy day is coming.  They always do. 

If we involve our own well-practiced thought processes of maintaining a sustainable household with the question of how to have sustainable energy sources and natural resources, we might just come up with lots of creative, almost intuitive responses to these worldwide, how to survive issues.