For me, sustainability means living in such a way that my lifestyle does not harm my son or his children, no matter on which continent and place they will live and what his/her income will be one day. For me, sustainability is therefore closely linked to the concept of responsibility explained last month.
Sustainability is not a new invention, but a rediscovery of principles that have been practiced for thousands of years.
On the one hand, sustainability is complex (when I think of the supply chain of my desk lamp, for example) and multidimensional (usually we speak of the three perspectives ecology, economy and social), but on the other hand it also allows many options to act sustainably.
The fact is that cumulatively our lifestyle in Germany is not sustainable, as we currently consume 2.9 Earths in terms of resources. [i]
Sustainable development goals
The UN has broken down the complexity into 17 Sustainable Development Goals. From fighting poverty to promoting peace, justice and strong institutions. You can find all the goals here, for example, on the website of the German United Nations Association.
How do I get involved?
As I wrote in my April blog on global balance, I firmly believe that we will change the face of the world in this decade if everyone contributes to three goals that match their strengths. I have prioritized the following three goals:
- As a civil engineer and real estate economist, Goal 11 „Sustainable Cities and Communities“ is a matter close to my heart professionally and I work on its implementation every day. Already, I can explain to my son that walkable cities/towns and developed bike lanes make sense because he likes to ride his bike.
- Goal 3 „Health and well-being“ is also very important to me. Towards my family, my colleagues and also myself. I explain to my son where food comes from, encourage his athletic inclinations and am attentive regarding his well-being.
- Goal 15 „Life on Land“ has been a familiar concept to me since early childhood, where we regularly conducted forest cleanups as Boy Scouts, but it was always frightening and impressive at the same time how much trash we collected from the forest. I explain to my son that resources are finite, go out into nature with him a lot and teach him to be mindful of it.
To the best of my knowledge and belief, I also try to pursue the other goals or to live independently of these UN goals according to the definition I gave at the beginning.
I am grateful for this orientation, although it is a continuous improvement process, because of course there are many situations where I do not yet meet this responsibility. I am wary of perfectionism and am happy about the many small steps in the right direction and that many people have set out on this path globally.
To encourage each other and to promote dialog, I have stuck a corresponding sticker on my mailbox as a small sign and have also chosen it as the background for my LinkedIn profile😉.
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[i] See, for example, Tagesschaubericht on the current UN report.