There is a lot of talk these days about sustainability, a term that is widely used but also a concept that people don’t always know the exact meaning of. To avoid confusion or using the word incorrectly, it’s important to know what sustainability is and what it means for daily life.

Then, we can be more aware of the real meaning of sustainability in all its forms, assess information correctly and make the right decisions in daily life. We’ll look at what sustainability means and how to live in a more sustainable way.

What sustainability means

To understand what sustainability means, we can consider the definition provided by the United Nations: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This relates to the interpretation of sustainable development included in the UN’s 2030 Agenda, a programme with 17 sustainability objectives shared on a global level.

Sustainability, therefore, is a socio-economic model that ensures the wellbeing of the entire population and only uses the natural resources available and those that can regenerate, so that future generations will be able to enjoy the same living conditions, wellbeing and availability of resources. This concept has a number of implications on all the social and economic issues that affect our lives.

What sustainability means

People often tend to limit the concept of sustainability to the environmental impact of human life, which is too restricted and does not take into account other important aspects. When we talk about sustainability, we are actually referring to environmental, social and economic sustainability – three basic conditions required to achieve real sustainability.

We’ll look at these three different but integrated dimensions of sustainability in detail. 

Environmental sustainability

We’ll start by analysing what environmental sustainability is, i.e. the perfect balance of resources consumed and those that the planet can regenerate. This applies to all types of resources, like extracted raw materials, fish taken from the seas and greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere. 

To achieve environmental sustainability, all these activities must be sustainable, for example fishing an amount of fish that is appropriate for the speed of reproduction and the health of the marine habitat, or emitting an amount of greenhouse gases that aligns with the earth’s ability to absorb CO2. It’s clear that environmental sustainability requires development focused on the use of renewable energies but also processes with a low environmental impact based on circularity that aids the recycling, recovery and reuse of resources.

Social sustainability

The second dimension of sustainability is social, relating to the population’s wellbeing and protection of the most vulnerable. This also includes future generations, as the principle of social sustainability is that current wellbeing should not compromise the wellbeing of those who come after us. In practice, we need to live while respecting our common benefits, ensuring that the whole population has access to resources, helping the most fragile and guaranteeing the same rights for all.

Economic sustainability

The third dimension is economic sustainability, i.e. the adoption of a sustainable economic growth system that can generate wealth and wellbeing equally for the whole population while protecting the environment. According to this approach, an economically sustainable process is one that allows a company to make a profit while simultaneously creating value for society and not damaging the environment or reducing the resources available for others.

Why is sustainability important?

Striving for environmental, economic and social sustainability means adopting a sustainable development model in order to generate value for the current generations without discrimination and ensuring that future generations have the same opportunities. 

The consequences of unsustainable development models are under the spotlight as they are causing numerous serious problems like:

• Global warming;
• Climate change;
• Environmental degradation;
• Severe social and economic inequality;
• Non-democratic access to resources;
• Exploitation of the planet to the detriment of future generations.

 

How to live sustainably: 10 useful tips

To live sustainably, we can adopt a series of behaviours aimed at environmental, social and economic sustainability. First of all, it’s important to educate yourself so that you can make informed decisions and carefully assess the choices you make regarding your consumption of products, services and processes so that they add positive value to the environment, society and the economy.

Here are 10 sustainable habits that could make a difference and contribute to sustainable development:

1. Reduce the waste generated in everyday life, choosing products that come in recyclable and compostable packaging or no packaging at all and avoid buying an excess of products.
2. Adopt a sustainable diet, consisting predominantly of vegetables, which have a lower environmental impact, and choose locally produced, seasonal foods, preferably from organic farms and short supply chains.
3. Reduce your consumption of potable water, for example by choosing a shower instead of a bath, turning off the tap when you’re not using it and recovering rainwater for plant irrigation or gardening.
4. Use renewable energy sources at home, like a photovoltaic system to produce electricity sustainably or a solar thermal system to get domestic hot water without generating greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Choose highly energy-efficient systems, such as a condensing boiler instead of an old gas boiler or a heat pump.
6. Reduce your own carbon footprint, for example by adopting habits aimed at saving energy, such as installing low-consumption LED bulbs or choosing sustainable mobility solutions like electric vehicles or public transport.
7. Buy fair trade products that ensure that workers’ rights are respected, like paying a fair price and promoting healthy working conditions that protect the environment.
8. Value companies that have a clear and measurable sustainability strategy, i.e. when their business can create common benefits for the collective and contribute to sustainable economic development.
9. Support sustainability policies that strive to reduce hunger and malnutrition, achieve gender equality, adequate welfare for the vulnerable, health services that are accessible to all and good-quality, fair and inclusive education.
10. Support projects designed to make cities more sustainable, for example programmes aimed at improving air quality, optimising waste management, fostering social inclusion and promoting positive and sustainable relationships between towns and rural areas.

Of course, you can contribute to sustainability on any level, from making simple choices about what you consume to investing in renewable energies and buying a green system or actively participating in the promotion of sustainability on a local, national or international level.