What is sustainability?

I assumed that most of us are familiar of the word sustainable and sustainability. But what does it mean exactly? Do we really know and understand what it is all about? Do we really care? or we just ignore it.

I search on the internet about the meaning of sustainability and I choose this simple explanation which writes that sustainability could be defined as an ability or capacity of something to be maintained or to sustain itself. It’s about taking what we need to live now, without jeopardizing the potential for people in the future to meet their needs. If an activity is said to be sustainable, it should be able to continue forever.

How can you as a student contribute to sustainability?

Living sustainably is about living within the means of our natural systems (environment) and ensuring that our lifestyle doesn’t harm other people (society and culture). 

As a student I think we should be involve on an activities about environment conservation or what they called environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability is about making responsible decisions that will reduce your business/projects/research negative impact on the environment. It is not simply about reducing the amount of waste you produce or using less energy, but is concerned with developing processes that will lead to businesses/projects/researches becoming completely sustainable in the future.

By being responsible on our decision from whatever aspects it may be, we should be aware on how this things will affect our lives and the future. Here are some activities which I think a student like me can practice for contributing to sustainability.

• A student can practice sustainability in their everyday life like instead of riding a jeep and you have a bicycle, why not use it? or if the place where you need to go is walk-able why not walk? It don't contribute to air pollution plus it also an exercise.

• When you’re promoting an event specially the student leaders and other events you organize now or in the future, you'll probably make signs or posters. Use materials that can be reused year to year. Not only will this reduce waste, but it will also save you money in the long run and allow for more professional and eye-catching publicity. For example, you can print a banner, large poster, or set of table tents on which you can change the date, or provide a link to the website/online calendar, which states the event date.

• Go paperless. When we our in the class discussion we can take down notes on our laptop or nowadays students have their high technology gadgets which they can take pictures of the lecture and compressed the files in their computer for reviewing/study purposes.

• When we go on our break time/lunch instead of taking out our orders and if we can dine in on a fast food chain, we may do so. Some fast food use a reusable dishes, utensils and etc.