Sustainability

Can this way of living or operating continue without passing unacceptable costs onward?

Sustainability concerns whether our ways of living and operating preserve the conditions that people and other life need over time. We need to name what should remain viable, whose needs are included and which timescale matters. A label or a single improving measure cannot answer the whole question. Responsibility involves examining effects, recognising costs passed to others and changing practices as evidence becomes clearer. The aspiration to flourish belongs alongside respect for limits and honest assessment of results.

For example, choosing whether to repair or replace equipment involves its useful life, energy, materials and waste, rather than relying only on a “green” label.

A question to sit with (optional): What are we seeking to sustain, for whom, for how long, and how would we know?