Because we're all in this planet together, that's why.
It's easy to forget that there's a big world out there. What we see in our daily routines is too limited, and it fails to tell the story of how the stuff we have, ended up as such (check out www.storyofstuff.com or see my previous post about it)
I was thinking about the general world-ignorance prevalent in the US educational
system (And yes, it is changing, but maybe not fast enough), and it is simple to see why wealth and lack of purpose can create indifference and cluelessness at their worst. These kids have every opportunity, resource, and attention... but they have no purpose. And, the ones that have no opportunity, no resource, nor purpose, are left in identity limbo. They don't know how they fit into the world, and at worst, they end up becoming destructive.
Sustainability gives us purpose. We are all in this together, and there's much work to be done on this earth.
Given that the planet is growing at a rate of one city the size of Seattle every 7 days, it is absolutely necessary for people to understand that we cannot keep on consuming and trampling through natural resources at the rate we're doing it. There are better, smarter ways to structure this world. For example: less than 5% of raw materials used in a production line, end up in the finished product- the rest ends up as TRASH. This is like trying to eat a cake by violently punching through it so
that we end up with a tiny bit in our mouths, and the rest in uneatable
garbage all around us. Can we seriously not think of a better way to efficiently use our resources?
We should care about sustainability because it is our lives that are at stake. It's that simple. I'm guessing if you're reading this you're already pretty much on board. This is written mainly for those who do know, so they can tell the ones that don't.
I've written about purpose before, but this is the first time I've realized that our collective purpose can swiftly be collapsed into the sustainability movement.
For now, this is our generation's time to shine.
Love and light,
-Alex