The book club is back in session! For the first quarter of 2022, we are tackling the big and seeming nebulous topic of sustainability. None of us in the group are squarely in the sustainability space, but as young adults who are exposed to global conversations, we have definitely been influenced to move towards sustainable practices whether consciously or not. We decided to take the next 12 weeks to figure out what sustainability meant for each of us, starting with an open discussion on how to understand sustainability as a philosophy.

Here are the resources we used:

Category	Resources
What is Sustainability?	What is Sustainability – UCLA  What is sustainability? – Philosophy for the future Greta Thunberg’s full speech to world leaders at UN Climate Action Summit – PBS Why We Need to Think Differently About Sustainability – Leyla Acaroglu
Circular Economy	Explaining the Circular Economy and How Society Can Re-think Progress – Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Supply Chains Are More Sustainable. Why Are They So Rare? – HBR The Reverse Supply Chain – HBR
Sustainability as a Mindset	Can Sustainability Mindset be Taught and Who Should Lean In to Grow It? – Medium Atomic Habits: How to Get 1% Better Every Day – James Clear Why it’s time for ‘Doughnut Economics’ – Kate Raworth F*** Sustainability – Stephanie Bartscht  Hedonistic Sustainability – Bjarke Ingles

What are we moving away from?

Given that the sustainability movement seems so counter-cultural, it must be grating against some dominant narratives. There are some structural and long-held ideas that must be performing poorly or causing damage to cause the level of response that climate activists and sustainability champions are showing. We identified three major narratives that are under attack:

1. Short-term growth is the most important feature to optimise for
2. Growth maximisation produces the best outcomes
3. Capitalism is the best system to improve everyone’s lives

If you consider the widely used definition of sustainability, which is

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

there is a recognition that long-term value, or the capacity to achieve long-term value, must be preserved. Short-termism has caused damage in more arenas than just the climate – one could attribute it as a driver for the 2008 Financial Crisis, the high early COVID-19 deaths in some countries and the threat of war in some regions around the world. Yet, our institutions and systems optimise for it because it gives the fastest return on any investment and we are irrational human beings, preferring to avoid the value of long-term sustenance.

We also agreed that the obsession with growth betrays a much deeper lie that we can never be satisfied with the present. We must always improve, even if we have achieved a quality of life that is devoid of threats to our survival. Yes, we must continue to innovate and make discoveries, but the notion that our value is tied to a number and its ability to increase is scary.

Finally, capitalism in its unadulterated form causes a level of redistribution that erodes the ability of certain communities to think long-term even if they want to. They must survive the next day before even thinking about the next generation. While governments try to correct inequalities and rebalance economic systems, these are always with their own limitations and unintended consequences. This is a big reason why some climate activists use the term “climate justice” – because they believe that exploitation has occurred at a macroeconomic level and not just with one company or person.

What are we moving towards?

Sustainability is not just about lowering carbon emissions or recycling more. It is a mindset that can be practised at all levels, including with one’s own self. How we spend our energy and allow ourselves to replenish is a good example of how a sustainability mindset can preserve our ability to continue making an impact without burnout.

Here are some of the concepts we identified as core to the sustainability mindset:

1. There must be an intentional choice to limit some short-term achivement
2. There is both radical and incremental steps
3. There is a need to consider equity
4. There is value in designing restorative systems

Considering that the current reality we live in is still not a dominantly sustainable one, if we were to choose to live sustainable lives, we must be ready to think differently and make some sacrifices. Perhaps we choose to limit the money and time we spend on luxury conveniences, or perhaps we choose to focus on taking long walks instead of working late at night. Holding onto a sustainability mindset is fundamentally counter-cultural and must therefore come from a deeper understanding of what we are moving towards.

The group also had a small debate about whether there is a need to see sustainability as radical or incremental. It is not a binary choice but it does call out the tension where governments and corporations elect to be incremental when there is a need to be radical, and where individuals are radical when the impact is minimal. There is probably more here to be unpacked and we will dive deeper in future discussions.

On equity, we acknowledged that achieving global sustainability is a wicked problem that requires whole-system thinking i.e. it is not just about the US’s green policy or India’s green policy or even ExxonMobil’s green policy – it is about how all of these policies and their implementations affect one another. Developing economies that endured colonial exploitation or that were shut off from the rest of the world and now have to play catch-up will feel unfairly disadvantaged to have to curb emissions while developed economies continue to benefit from prior excesses. These are ethical issues around topics of justice and equity and therefore require more deliberation.

Finally, with a sustainability mindset, one must design systems that rejuvenate and restore rather than just drain and exploit. Circular systems are not just about closed-loop supply chains, but also about how we see the value of the work we do and how we hope to honour what we have taken from, including our own selves. Circularity and restoration are complex concepts especially when systems get large but they must be grappled with to help create long-term capacity.

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As you can likely tell, the sustainability conversation has so much more to explore. We want to get beyond the headlines and arguments and understand deeply what it will take to move towards sustainable living. I am personally excited for this journey.