Back in 1954, R. Buckminster Fuller, the famous architect and theorist, defined sustainability as "the conscious design of our total environment, in order to help make the Earth’s finite resources meet the needs of all of humanity without disrupting the ecological processes of the planet."
Notice that Fuller said “finite,” not “infinite,” when talking about natural resources. Many people believe that the Earth can provide an endless supply of wood, oil, or stone — after all, the planet is huge, right? But if you stop to think about it, assuming that natural resources are infinite just doesn’t make sense.
Fuller also said that we have to meet the needs of “all” of humanity — not just rich people, and not just Americans. This is the same man who figured out how to house, clothe, and feed everyone on the planet. He didn’t keep it secret either; he published it in one of his 28 books. At the time, he was dismissed as an eccentric and dreamer; only now, over 50 years later, are people starting to understand Fuller’s genius.
In 1994, the United Nations (UN) came up with their own definition of sustainability: “meeting the needs of the present, without sacrificing the needs of our future.” People everywhere have been consuming as if there’s no tomorrow, and with little regard for the barren world that our children and grandchildren will inherit.
The concept of sustainability is also based on the ancient Great Law of the Native American Iroquois people, which states, “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation. . . .” Each decision they made was based on the effect it would have seven generations into the future. This philosophy ensured their survival.
Because our resources are so finite, we need to adopt a similar approach — whether you go with Fuller’s definition, the UN’s definition, or the philosophy of the Iroquois.
Getting back to your roots
The prefix eco– comes from the Ancient Greek word oikos, which loosely translates to “house.” In the case of environmentalism, the house being referred to is the Big House, the planet Earth, and it’s the only house we have. The suffix –nomy means “management” and the suffix –logy means “knowledge.” So, the term economy literally means “house management” and ecology literally means “house knowledge.”
The funny thing is, people often assume that you need to sacrifice economy in order to achieve ecology. But as you can see, the two terms are interrelated. After all, nature has a perfectly balanced economy. When a tree sprouts in the spring, you don’t look at it and ask, “Gosh, how many leaves does it take?!” The number of leaves depends upon the sun, the water, and the soil.
If you change your thinking about economy and ecology, and think of the two terms as part of the same concept of the Earth as our home, you can begin to understand sustainability.
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