sustainability
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"
-The Brundtland Commission 1986, one of the first widely accepted definitions of sustainability
a balancing act
Sustainability challenges us to rethink everything, from business models to the decisions we make in our personal lives. At its essence, the ideology is based on three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. Each one is equal and critical to implementing sustainability successfully.
farming &
covid-19 pandemic
The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has shown how critical sustainability is. The disparities laid bare since 2020 have shown how vulnerable certain communities and infrastructures are and have been for quite some time. Hunger in the United States was a problem on the decline pre-COVID. In the last 12 months however, more and more people have experienced food insecurity. Lines at food pantries and meal distribution centers snake down city blocks.
Urban farming seeks to disrupt our current unsustainable food system. At its present state, it is not able to distribute enough food to meet the demands. However, with support and funding to build more farms, there is hope that their impact will be farther reaching.
Going further
Sustainability is not just recycling or composting or using energy efficient light bulbs. It is recognizing that our actions have ripple effects that go far beyond our local communities. The work being done today in New York City leads to new and innovative ideas that are used in other American cities and around the world. It is empirical that governments and businesses must adopt sustainability policies and practices to create more resiliency. Not only would our environment and economies become resilient, so would our people.