By Aaryan Jain
Sustainable development is the practice of reconciling the vast, consuming machine of human industry with nature, the very force it relies on. Sustainability’s urgency must be addressed by the youth, as they will inherit the Earth and cope with a multitude of ecological and climatic problems, including extreme heat, sea level rise, and diminishing ecosystems, as well as the stark inequalities caused by them. In order to face these challenges, we will need to redefine almost every aspect of our economy and society, an endeavor that will take decades of innovation and reform.
Sustainability starts at home – while individual actions aren’t enough to deal with climate change by themselves, being able to lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle shows that as a society, sustainable living isn’t impossible. So how could we change our habits? For one, we could aim to live a less materialistic life. The rampant consumerism
inflicts an unnecessary toll on the environment, as the manufacturing of goods and commodities, along with their disposal, contributes to the emission of greenhouse gasses and the pollution of air and water, as well as straining critical natural resources. An excellent example of this is fast fashion, the hyper-materialist trend of regularly purchasing and disposing clothes. The UN Environment Program estimates that the fast fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water, and accounts for 2-8 percent of global emissions. That’s right – fast fashion is only second to agriculture in terms of water consumption! Living a less material lifestyle is one of the most important actions that individuals can take to help the environment. Another action we can take is to learn more about our influences – as individuals and as a society – on the health of the climate and biosphere; reflecting on how our way of living interacts with the environment, positively and negatively, will allow us to make more conscious decisions. By moderating our consumption of resources, and becoming environmentally literate, we will be one step closer to an eco-conscious future.
The youth’s connection with biodiversity is diminishing, as technology demands an ever growing amount of time; data from UCL indicates that the average amount of time spent outdoors, by people under 30, has fallen by nearly 1.4 hours since 1980. As society turns its head away from nature and towards the screen, it will become unengaged with the well-being of its plants and animals, and indifferent to conservation efforts. This is dangerous, as our way of life is dependent on nature, and our protection of it will become increasingly more vital. Education can serve as an important link between communities and sustainability, via the guidance of students, who will bring the lessons they learn in school back to their families and friends. Sustainable education’s intent should be to spark interest and a positive association with environmentalism, not fear. It should aim to harness student’s appreciation of the natural world, and teach them of the connections between humans and ecology in a non-threatening way. By encouraging students to foster a closeness with nature, society will become more environmentally responsible.
In the fight for sustainability, concerned individuals, and particularly students, will face numerous barriers from their neighbors, statesmen, and business-owners. Our economic, political, and social systems are too rigid to accept a radical overhaul. In addition, sustainability has remained expensive and inconvenient. For example, it is generally much cheaper to buy industrially produced eggs and corn than their counterparts from local farms, regardless of their respective environmental footprints. Another example is renewable energy. Our current methods of capturing and distributing it drive up the cost, leaving it uncompetitive and undesirable. If we are serious about making sustainable living a reality, we must make environmentalism economically feasible. This is where public policy comes in: our governments have the power to incentivize people and organizations to live more sustainably, using methods like tax breaks or subsidies, as well as investing in the development of green technology. To fully implement sustainability, we need to pressure national and local governments to support green industries and make green living easier.
It is clear that as our world changes, adaptation will become increasingly more vital; reducing our individual and collective strains on nature and learning more about our importance in it will help to build a richer world, with less suffering and more abundance. If we want to ensure the continuous health of our species, we must recognize nature for its importance in our flourishing, and learn to co-exist with it.
Bio:
Aaryan Jain is a rising sophomore at Millburn High School. Deeply passionate about the health of our ecosystems and the protection of biodiversity, he is a volunteer in local efforts to reintroduce vital plant and insect species and an advocate for a minimalist, low-waste lifestyle.
Aaryan’s love for nature sprouted at a young age, when he developed an interest in gardening. A practice of reconnecting with nature, gardening allowed him to view the world through the eyes of the tomato plant, the insect, and the organisms that depend on them. As he continued to learn more about the encroachment of suburbia on wild habitats, he shifted from growing vegetables to native plants, such as the Swamp Milkweed, Purple Cornflower, or Switchgrass, in hopes of attracting monarch butterflies, native bee species, or birds like the American Robin or Rock Pigeon. A participant in the Eco-Ambassador program and a member of the Milburn Green Team, he has taken part in community projects to alleviate his town’s environmental impact, such as by helping to pass ordinances to reduce plastic waste, spreading awareness about the benefits of native plants, participating in plant drives to encourage the use of critical plant species in residential and community gardens, and by creating informational videos about his township’s food recycling program.
A member of a competitive rowing team, he has the opportunity to train in the Passaic River regularly. Rowing in the Passaic allowed him to understand the depth of humanity’s impact on nature – the visible littering of artificial debris and the discharging of oil on the river surface were appalling. In his downtime, he plays the violin and likes to read fantasy and nonfiction books.
In the future, Aaryan plans to work with science and technology to help make the world a healthier, happier place.
