The word, “sustainability” is being used a lot these days, but what is commonly called sustainability is not truly sustainable. When looked at through the lens of a more rigorous set of criteria, you discover that genuine, meaningful sustainability is a dauntingly complex, remote, far flung ideal. It’s gonna be really difficult to achieve. But the good new is that the human family WILL achieve sustainability because we have no choice in the matter. To do anything less is …. unsustainable. We will either achieve sustainability voluntarily through intelligence, honesty, discipline and sacrifice. Or will will achieve sustainability involuntarily as it is crammed violently down our throats by the cold and uncompromising hand of reality. In other words, SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL.
We will stop driving cars either because we have built fully fossil fuel free infrastructure and transit systems or we will stop driving cars because because we are no longer able to fuel and maintain them.
SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL
We will stop poisoning ourselves with toxic chemicals either because we develop non-toxic replacements for them or because with the end of the petroleum era will be too sick, broke and stupid to produce toxic chemicals.
SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL
We will stop eating a diet that travels an average of 1500 miles on tractor trailer rigs either because we begin producing our food locally or because the trucks stop running.
SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL
We will preserve diverse worldwide ecosystems either because we recognize their priceless value or as tissue samples archived with the cynical expectation that someday we’ll clone all the extinct species back into existence.
SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL
We will begin loving and supporting one another in community either because it is intrinsic to our human nature or because it has become a key line of defense against criminal gangs of mutant zombie tweekers.
SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL
We will begin believing the truth either because it’s staring us in the face or because the truth will be crammed down our throats by reality.
SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL
Amid the collapsing shards of a civilization that, in spite of its staggeringly grotesque flaws, has produced countless wonderful things, I stumble to a crumbling, unstable roof top to shout out that everyone from the simplest, slash & burn agricultural peasants to the most delusional & psychopathic of politicians and corporate executives may hear that SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OPTIONAL.