Is Sustainability a Lie?

Summary

The script discusses the evolution of 'sustainability' from a visionary concept to a marketing cliché. It argues that true environmental progress requires moving beyond mere sustainability to 'regenerative' practices that actively restore ecosystems. The narrative criticizes greenwashing and calls for systemic change, drawing on indigenous wisdom and the potential of stories to inspire a shift towards a more resilient, life-centered future.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Sustainability is a widely used term but its true meaning is often overlooked.
• 📅 The term 'sustainability' was formally defined by the United Nations in 1987.
• 🌱 The original definition of sustainability focuses on meeting current needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs.
• 🚫 The concept of sustainability has been co-opted by businesses for marketing purposes, often leading to 'greenwashing'.
• 🔄 The idea of regeneration goes beyond sustainability, aiming to actively improve and restore ecosystems.
• 🌿 Regeneration is inspired by indigenous cultures that have lived in harmony with nature for millennia.
• 🔄 The transition from sustainability to regeneration involves recognizing our interconnectedness with nature.
• 🏔️ The script uses the metaphor of a mountain to illustrate the need to descend from an unsustainable peak to a more balanced, regenerative valley.
• 🌱 Regenerative cultures are not a futuristic concept but a return to practices that are deeply rooted in human history.
• 🌍 Achieving a regenerative society requires systemic change at various levels, including business, government, and education.

Q & A

What is the original definition of sustainability as given in the 1987 United Nations report?

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Why has the term 'sustainability' lost its meaning for some people?

For some, the term 'sustainability' has become a cliché used by businesses to appear environmentally friendly without making substantial changes, leading to a sense of it being insufficient in addressing the current climate and ecological emergency.

What is the difference between sustainability and regeneration as discussed in the script?

Sustainability focuses on maintaining the status quo without depleting resources, while regeneration goes a step further, aiming to actively repair and improve the environment and ecosystems.

What is 'greenwashing' and how does it relate to the concept of sustainability?

Greenwashing is a deceptive practice where companies portray themselves as environmentally friendly through marketing but do not make significant changes to their practices. It is related to sustainability as it misuses the term to mislead consumers.

How does the script suggest we should think about change to create resilience?

The script suggests thinking about change that encompasses both individuals and the planet to create resilience, moving away from an individualistic view to a more collective and planet-centric approach.

What is the significance of indigenous cultures in the context of regeneration as mentioned in the script?

Indigenous cultures are highlighted as having lived regeneratively for millennia, fostering a reciprocal relationship with nature. Their wisdom is seen as crucial for understanding and implementing regenerative practices.

What does the script suggest as the current state of human development in terms of sustainability?

The script describes the current state as standing on a metaphorical mountain top with issues like plastic, debt, inequality, and carbon at unprecedented levels, indicating a need for urgent change.

What is the 'mountain' analogy used in the script to describe our current environmental situation?

The 'mountain' analogy represents the climb of human development over the past 150-200 years, reaching a peak with severe environmental and social issues, and the need to descend quickly to more sustainable practices.

How does the script propose we move towards a regenerative approach?

The script proposes storytelling about the benefits of a regenerative lifestyle, focusing on the uniqueness of individuals, collectives, and places, and transforming systems to put life at the center.

What role does the script suggest for businesses, governments, and educational institutions in fostering a regenerative approach?

The script suggests that businesses should take significant action, insurance companies should refuse to insure harmful projects, governments should have ambitious decarbonization plans, and universities should integrate climate and ecological education into all degrees.

What is the final message of the script regarding our current environmental challenges?

The final message is that we are in a critical moment but that there is hope. It's time to transition from the unsustainable practices that have led to the current crisis and move towards regenerative cultures and systems.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 The Evolution and Misinterpretation of Sustainability

The paragraph discusses the term 'sustainability', which has become a buzzword for corporations. It traces the origin of the term back to a 1987 United Nations report, which defined sustainable development as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. However, the paragraph argues that the term has lost its meaning due to overuse and 'greenwashing', where companies deceptively market themselves as environmentally friendly. It suggests that instead of merely sustaining, we should aim for 'regeneration', which involves actively improving the environment. The paragraph also touches on the importance of indigenous cultures that have practiced regenerative living for millennia, advocating for a return to these practices.

05:03

🗻 The Path to Regenerative Cultures

This paragraph delves into the concept of regeneration, positioning it as a step beyond sustainability. It uses the metaphor of a mountain to describe our current situation, where we are at the peak with unsustainable practices, and we need to descend to lower valleys that represent a more sustainable and regenerative lifestyle. The paragraph emphasizes the need for systemic change, urging businesses, governments, and educational institutions to adopt regenerative practices. It concludes by suggesting that the path to a regenerative future is not only necessary but also desirable, as it promises a better quality of life, and that we have the knowledge and the means to achieve it, having practiced regenerative living in the past.

Keywords

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain a certain process or state in the long term without causing significant harm to the environment or depleting natural resources. In the video, it is discussed as a buzzword often used by corporations but criticized for not going far enough. The script suggests that while sustainability is about meeting present needs without compromising the future, it is now seen as insufficient in the face of urgent environmental crises.

💡Greenwashing

Greenwashing is the practice of making an unjustified claim to environmental benefits to promote the perception that a company's policies or products are environmentally friendly. The video describes how companies use advertising to appear more sustainable than they are in reality, which is deceptive and undermines the true meaning of sustainability.

💡Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is defined in the script as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It was formally defined in a United Nations report in 1987. The video suggests that while this was once a visionary idea, it has become a cliché and is no longer sufficient.

💡Climate Emergency

A climate emergency refers to the urgent situation of rapid climate change caused by human activities, which poses a significant threat to life on Earth. The video emphasizes that we are in a climate emergency, suggesting that traditional sustainability strategies are inadequate and that more drastic measures are needed.

💡Regenerative

Regenerative practices aim to not only sustain but actively improve and restore ecosystems. The video contrasts sustainability with regeneration, suggesting that while sustainability is about maintaining the status quo, regeneration is about healing and restoring the environment to a healthier state.

💡Bill Reid's Diagram

Bill Reid's Diagram is mentioned in the video as a visual representation showing that sustainability is not an end goal but a step towards developing restorative and regenerative cultures. It illustrates the progression from sustainability to regeneration, indicating that we can and should aim higher than mere sustainability.

💡Indigenous Cultures

Indigenous cultures are highlighted in the video as having lived regeneratively for millennia, fostering a reciprocal relationship with the Earth. The script suggests that we should look to these cultures for wisdom on how to live in harmony with nature, as they have practiced regenerative lifestyles long before the current environmental crisis.

💡Systems Change

Systems change refers to the transformation of underlying structures and systems that govern human activity. The video argues for the need to redesign and rebuild systems that currently harm the environment, suggesting that these systems are not fixed but can be changed to prioritize life and the environment.

💡Extractivist Industrialized Capitalist Models

These models are criticized in the video as being the current systems that have led to environmental degradation. The term 'extractivist' refers to an economic system focused on extracting resources without regard for sustainability or regeneration. The video suggests that these models are not the only way and can be redesigned.

💡Resilience

Resilience in the context of the video refers to the ability of communities and ecosystems to withstand and recover from crises. The script suggests that to create a resilient future, we need to transform systems to encompass both human and planetary well-being.

💡Waterbear

Waterbear is mentioned as the first impact-driven streaming platform in the video. It is an example of a platform that provides content about the future of our planet and allows viewers to take direct action, illustrating a practical way for individuals to engage with and contribute to regenerative practices.

Highlights

Sustainability is a buzzword used extensively in advertising and product labeling.

The term 'sustainability' was formally defined in a 1987 United Nations report.

Sustainable development is defined as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs.

The concept of sustainability has been co-opted by businesses to appear environmentally friendly.

The term 'sustainability' has lost its original meaning and impact.

The current climate and ecological emergency requires more than just sustainability strategies.

Greenwashing is the practice of making a company appear more environmentally friendly than it is.

Consumers are becoming more aware of the need for fundamentally sustainable production methods.

Sustainability is not an end goal but a step towards a more regenerative approach.

Regenerative practices aim to improve the health of ecosystems, not just maintain them.

Bill Reid's diagram illustrates the transition from sustainability to regenerative cultures.

Regenerative cultures view humans as part of nature, actively working to protect it.

Indigenous communities have lived regeneratively for millennia, fostering a loving relationship with the Earth.

Regenerative cultures are not a utopian future but a past we need to return to.

The current state of the world is likened to standing at the peak of a mountain of problems.

A shift towards regenerative practices is necessary to heal social, ecological, and economic conditions.

Systems change can be initiated at various levels, from businesses to governments and educational institutions.

To create a resilient future, we must transform systems that prioritize life and the environment.

The alternatives to our current broken systems are already known and practiced historically.

The challenge is to move from the crisis of the present to the potential of a regenerative future.

Waterbear is a platform for documentaries about the future of our planet and taking action.

Transcripts

sustainability a favorite buzzword for

corporations

is your fashion sustainable we hear it

on tv we read it in the news and we see

it on products everywhere we look

and like every good buzzword

sustainability features and shiny

advertising campaigns

we associate it with the environment

climate change and the vague notion of

being green

but we rarely give thought to what it

actually means

we're already knee deep in the greatest

threat our species has ever faced

so is sustaining really enough or should

we be focusing on actively improving the

world around us

although the concept of sustainability

isn't new the term itself is

it was only 35 years ago in 1987 that it

was formally defined in a united nations

report in the late 80s at 1987 to be

exact the brentlin commission issued the

first formal definition of sustainable

development

sustainable development is development

that meets the needs of the present but

without compromising the ability of

future generations to meet their own

needs

time is short for us to rectify the

present unsustainable patterns

of human development

it wasn't long until the term became a

key piece of language in modern society

fast forward 35 years and we can find it

stamped over all the products we buy

from food to clothes to cosmetics

almost every company dedicates a page on

their website to gloat about their

greenness

for me the term sustainability has

completely lost any meaning or any

relevance it's it's uh whenever i meet

people who work in a company and

organization who say but look we've got

a sustainability strategy

i'm like we are so beyond you having a

sustainability strategy now this is a

climate and ecological emergency

and what i want to see is your it's

a climate emergency plan the unfortunate

truth is that what was once a strong

visionary forward-thinking idea has

become a go-to cliche for businesses

feeling the pressure to answer their

customers concerns this type of deceit

has a name and you've probably heard it

before green washing green washing is a

term that's used by companies when they

want to make themselves appear more

green and ethical than they really are

so they bring in some advertising

company who help them to paint

themselves as being super sustainable

consumers are waking up to the

importance of producing items in a way

that is fundamentally sustainable and

brands are clocking onto this but is the

idea of being sustainable really enough

imagine for a second an agricultural

field that is struggling to produce food

because it's been drained of all its

nutrients a sustainable approach might

keep spraying it with synthetic

fertilizer since the goal is to continue

its production

but what about actually addressing the

underlying issue and improving the

health of the soil itself there is a

name for this and it's called

regeneration

regeneration is an idea that builds on

the foundation given to us by

sustainability and takes it to another

level

this transition is clearly outlined in

this diagram by bill reid what's

fascinating about bill's diagram is that

it shows that sustainability isn't an

end goal but simply a step in the right

direction whilst we're making progress

we can go further still in developing

restorative and ultimately regenerative

cultures in which human beings remember

that they are a part of nature and work

actively to protect it if you look at

the concept rather than the term itself

it has such deep roots in

many human traditions and the world

around right and it's still very much

observed by many indigenous cultures

for millennia indigenous communities

across the globe have lived

regeneratively fostering a reciprocal

and loving relationship with mother

earth but only now are we starting to

listen to the wisdom and guidance of

these communities

and this is why it's so important to not

position regenerative cultures as

something utopian in the future but as

something that we've fallen away from

and need to come back to as something

that is deeply in our dna we have been

regenerative cultures otherwise you and

i would not sit here

this seems like a world far away from

where we are today

how do we get there

the way i always like to explain to

people is to say imagine a mountain and

that

over the last 150 200 years in the

global north we've climbed up to the top

of this mountain

and now we stand on top of this mountain

beneath our feet is more plastic debt

inequality carbon than we've ever stood

on top of before and the guides who at

our side who know this mountain really

well are pointing and saying we need to

get down off this mountain really really

fast for a lot of people that doesn't

seem to be working so i wonder whether a

better approach is to tell the stories

of the lower valleys of that mountain

and the delicious food and wine that

waits for us down there the comfortable

mattresses the warm fire signs

regeneration of course tries to heal the

social ecological and economic

conditions

in a place but it actually does so by

focusing on the uniqueness of the

individuals the collective and the place

instead of thinking of ourselves as

individuals we need to think about

change that encompasses us and the

planet in order to create resilience in

the future we have to completely

transform the systems around us i think

so often um

there is this crisis of the imagination

where we just

assume that the current extractivist

industrialized capitalist models that

we've inherited are the only way things

can be and that's simply not true these

systems have been designed

and they can be redesigned and rebuilt

in a way that puts

life at the center

systems change can can be sparked on a

whole range of different levels so of

course we need businesses to do

everything they can we need insurance

companies to say they're not going to

ensure oil and gas projects anymore we

need governments to have really

ambitious decarbonisation plans we need

universities to teach all of their

degrees through the lens of the climate

and ecological emergency you know this

has to come from everywhere clearly

sustainability isn't enough in order to

protect life on earth we need to foster

a regenerative approach to the way we

live and while transforming our current

broken systems can seem like a daunting

task the alternatives are in front of us

and we've been practicing them long

before we got into this mess

right now we're in the eye of the storm

but shelter and sunshine lies waiting in

the lower valleys

it's time we got off this mountain

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