Is Sustainability More Than A Meaningless Buzzword

Is Sustainability Enough? Stop pretending you are sustainable. In fact, stop pretending you even know what the word â€Å"sustainable† means. In a world where we are inundated with social media feeds, slogans, buzzwords, flashy ads, and media coverage, it can be difficult to weed out the truth from the fluff. When it comes to environmental issues, that’s where things start to get dangerous. If we allow fads, marketing, and social pressure to lead us around blindly, we will be forced to tout empty symbols and gestures of what mob rule considers sustainable. Even worse, we will be taking up mind share and resources that could be spent on something we are truly passionate about, where real meaningful change can begin. Elizabeth Scharpf argues that we need to bring clarity to the now ambiguous term â€Å"sustainability† in her article â€Å"Why sustainability should be more than a meaningless buzzword.† The problem is that the word sustainability is so overused and thus too far gone to have any hope of being revived or made into a cornerstone of an environmental movement. While I agree that â€Å"sustainability† should be more than a meaningless buzzword, it has been so saturated that it is now not only meaningless, it’s dangerous. When we are left to fend for ourselves regarding sustainability’s true meaning, we are in danger of allowing social pressure to blindly lead us down the path of what it deems â€Å"sustainable† at the moment. Too often mind share and resources are wasted on satisfying theShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesSelf-Assessment Library What’s My Attitude Toward Older People? 40 Myth or Science? â€Å"Dual-Career Couples Divorce Less† 47 An Ethical Choice Religious Tattoos 51 glOBalization! Images of Diversity from Around the Globe 54 Point/Counterpoint Men Have More Mathematical Ability Than Women 61 Questions for Review 62 Experiential Exercise Feeling Excluded 62 Ethical Dilemma Board Quotas 62 Case Incident 1 The Flynn Effect 63 Case Incident 2 Increasing Age Diversity in the Workplace 64 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction