Sustainable Lifestyle Engineering, an Introduction

The word #sustainability is used quite a bit, and thankfully, I am hearing it more and more. But sometimes it is a very good idea to stop and really think about a word. I believe sustainability was a good choice of words for what, really, might be the most important movement in human history, and it is also quite abstract, as evidenced by the lengthy definition (I even it edited it down from 10 to 7 variations).

Sustain: verb

To support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.
to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).
to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.
to keep (a person, the mind, the spirit, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.
to keep up or keep going, as an action or process: to sustain a conversation.
to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.
to uphold as valid, just, or correct, as a claim or the person making it: The judge sustained the lawyer's objection

Origin: 1250-1300; Middle English suste(i)nen< Anglo-French sustenir, Old French < Latin sustinere to uphold, equivalent to sus- sus- + -tinere, combining form of tenere to hold

(http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sustain?s=t)

This definition is striking to me, as it really underscores the notion of an external force that is a threat, or at least burden upon, the goal of sustaining. As much as I would like to slip into a meditative sage-like reality where I let go and all becomes harmonious and easy, the truth is life is hard. Survival requires work. Sustainability requires strategy, logic, and maybe a good long range plan. I will return to this definition in the future.

I am about to embark on an ambitious journey. For years I have cautioned students in my public speaking class not to be too ambitious with their topics, as there is always an appropriate amount of information or specificity for a given amount of time, and we usually go too far. For this to work, I will need to break things down in small parts over a period of time, and then hopefully the parts will link together in a coherent way.

Thesis: There is a link between the achievement of individual happiness, strength of community, and environmental sustainability, and by making personal choices with sustainability in mind, we increase our own likelihood of happiness while minimizing our carbon footprint.

In a nutshell, I believe that Sustainability is a key to all sorts of success and happiness. Working backward, if we take steps to reduce our carbon footprint, like by walking to a train station instead of driving to work, we end up getting more exercise, we feel healthier, our food choices evolve to support that healthy feeling, we sleep better, etc. But if we begin with the concrete action it is just as simple; if I eat healthier food I am almost always decreasing my footprint.

Sustainability is also an excellent tool for decision-making. For example, if you are like my wife and me, we often ask Where should we go on vacation? My kids are 8 and 5. Many of the people we know with kids near those ages are going on trips to Disney. My own mother is appalled that we are not planning the same. But even if I was tempted (okay, maybe I have been a little), or if I am actually torn, I can ask myself, What would be more sustainable, a trip to Disney or a tour of some National Parks? Such a question almost always leads to some obvious answers. Well, Disney will cost us twice as much. Can we afford it? Maybe. But will we be able to take another vacation next year? Probably not. How healthy or inspired are we likely to feel after a vacation in Disney versus a vacation in a few National Parks. We will no doubt walk a lot in Disney, but hiking in and out of canyons in Utah and Arizona is probably going to have a higher net fitness impact on us as a family. What type of conversations might we have after, with each other and others? What is the ripple effect? One reason we are resistant to Disney is that, so far, our kids don't beg us for mass marketed toys. They have seen some of the popular Disney films, but they are not obsessed with princesses or talking cars. Going to Disney will definitely feed their interest in such things, and that will put pressure on us to treat them, because ultimately, we do love making our kids happy now and then with treats and surprises. I probably do not need to elaborate so much on this, so back to the simple idea -- using Sustainability as a decision-making tool -- it is obvious to me that the best choice for our family, this year, is the National Park trip.

In terms of more complicated decisions, like whether or not to invest in a #solar installation, the big "S" Sustainability question is also quite helpful. Yes, in the generic sense, solar is a means of reducing one's carbon footprint and is good for the environment, but what about the sustainability of your own family finances? Is there a health aspect? Does solar impact your family's thinking about other environmental issues? But really, the question about finances is probably the most important one. If you do not have the means to invest in solar this year, then it isn't very sustainable to spend that money, putting your financial security in jeopardy. But of you have some cash available, can borrow at a low interest rate (sometimes utilities offer compelling rates on solar loans), and/or your local government incentives are significant, then saving $50-100K dollars over 20 years can have a big impact on your household.

Two years ago my family decided to raise chickens in our back yard. To many people this might sound like a simple idea, if not a completely crazy one, but in truth, there is quite a lot of consider. We became involved in an initiative to have our town's laws changed to allow raising backyard chickens, and over the four year battle we actually learned so much that by the time we won the right to do so, we were not nearly as certain we wanted to! One way we came to decide it right for us to ask if it would contribute to our goal of engineering a sustainable lifestyle. The ultimate answer was yes, but it wasn't so simple. I know from gardening that it is very easy to grow tomatoes that cost $50/pound in overhead. I could tell that the cost of building a chicken coop that seemed humane, along with feed, would probably increase our weekly cost of eggs, not lower it. But then again, actually controlling one major part of my family's nutrition, and assuring it to be 100% organic, is worth some additional cost. The big deciding factor for my wife and me, however, was again, the impact on our kids. We live in a typical suburban neighborhood, and for the same reason I start seeds indoors every spring with my kids, I want them to have a intrinsic understanding of what it takes to produce an egg. They love their hens, but they don't always love the work. I am hoping that by the time they are young adults they will have a mature perspective on the sustainability of food production. Ultimately, raising chickens is something we can afford, and it is, in our opinion, one powerful way to try to raise kids that also end up caring about sustainability.

Perhaps one of the things you can tell I am inching toward here is that there is a link between Sustainable Lifestyle Engineering and existential, or just hands-on experience. Hiking into a canyon is fun. Hiking out kind of sucks, but it teaches us to tolerate discomfort for the sake of a big payoff. Gardening gets your hands dirty, and can be a little tedious, but I don't think there is a kid (or adult) in the world who doesn't love eating veggies off the vine, especially when they remember planting the seeds back in March. Caring for an animal so that it consistently provides some food. These activities force us to slow down, use our own hands and brains, and then relish the results. They take up time that might otherwise be spent spending money while getting little to no exercise.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.