Why Sustainability Is Boring and Merely 'Consuming Less' Misses the Point

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Re-Nest
02/08/2011 send to a friend
Why Sustainability Is Boring and Merely 'Consuming Less' Misses the Point

You're probably wondering right now if this is the Re-Nest email you're reading. Wait, what? Have we suddenly upped and thrown our morals to the wind? Isn't Re-Nest supposed to be about conscious and responsible living and design at home? Don't we believe that the choices we make—what we use, what we buy— have an impact on the planet? Aren't we for reuse and against throwawyism? Yes, yes, and yes—which is exactly why sustainability is boring and merely 'consuming less' misses the point.

We've all heard the hot button words: green, eco-friendly, sustainable, recycled, upcycled, reclaimed, reused, non-toxic, all-natural... the list goes on. And I'm the first to admit that Re-Nest writers, myself included, use these descriptors all the time as a way of defining what is "good" and what is "bad" in this nebulous green world we're trying to create for ourselves. (See? I did it again.)

But to be honest, I'm growing tired of my reliance on these words to define what is important. Because while these descriptors can be incredibly useful and informative, more often than not they're excuses for bad design, condescending judgement and behavior (hence the top photo), or blatant greenwashing.

Are there ways we can "tweak" our thinking on this? I think so.

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Posted by mbuhlah, Tuesday, February 8, 2011 12:39 PM
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