Exploring the Art Dimension of Sustainability

A sustainable namaste from India!

It's been a while that I have shared my supposed to be a weekly newsletter. No excuses, apologies for default.

An impressive array of technologies, tools, solutions, resources, time and money has been put in place for achieving #sdgs2030. Commendable progress has happened with hits and misses that is a given for this mammoth a task. Power of partnerships and collaborations are fueling the speed and scale of action. These are the collective scientific and logical responses that always refer to mindset/behavior change.

A closer look at this scenario points in a single direction- us the humans. It is people who are responsible for making things happen on the ground as per the strategic plans drawn out by governments, businesses and institutions. A number of organizations/scholars have been exploring this art dimension of sustainability focusing on an individual, family, community, country, region along with diverse beliefs, customs, rituals, culture, education among many others.

This article aims to explore human/social behavior, a complex maize of complicated/conflict ridden unpredictable drivers, and possible solutions based on different contexts. Indian ethos of nature knows best has been presented as a guiding star for all humanity.

'People behave as they do' is a famous management thought that further explains the why part. Human behavior is a result of context, experiences, personal and social emotions, perceptions, biases, self interest, greed, shame, regret, conformity with societal norms, rule of law, the cultural upbringing and so on.

Herding behavior, for example, is often believed to be a result of cognitive laziness. Instead of figuring out the right thing to do we choose the simpler option of following the crowd. This is a wrong explanation for this bias. We often follow the crowd because we fear regret. Taking a wrong decision hurts less when everyone else was wrong. After all “sorrow loves company”. (Prof. Eyal Winter, https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/why-do-people-behave-the-way-they-do/)

The Indian Culture of Sustainable Living

‘Sustainability’ in today’s milieu has undoubtedly garnered a lot of attention. It may be the most futuristic term, but its incubation is deep-rooted in our past.?

From the very beginning, the Indian society based its functioning around nature, what is available locally, and the overall concept of self-reliance. The traditional Indian wisdom was always about human beings and nature sharing a harmonious and indivisible relationship. Sustainability formed the basis of basic Indian living and it was inculcated in people through a variety of beliefs, traditions, and customs thus making it an inbuilt concept rather than an adopted one. It was taken as an attitude and was about adapting one’s self to it. Ever since the Vedic times, respecting what we have (in the form of natural resources), conserving it, and giving back to nature in whichever way possible, was the norm, enabling future generations to enjoy these resources the same way as we do.

Ancient Indian architecture is a perfect example of?working with nature rather than against it, thus laying the foundation of green- engineering centuries before the word ‘sustainability’ became a well-known concept. It rooted its theory in aligning human activities with nature in such a way that it posed minimum damage to the ecological system following the belief that ‘nature knows best’.

(Saniya S Sahai/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/author/saniya-s-sahai/)

Many other old civilizations have sustainable living as the epitome of their culture and practices.

Empowering people to live better and lighter

Sustainable living?means understanding how our lifestyle choices impact the world around us and finding ways for everyone to live better and lighter.?Applying a ‘people lens’ to sustainability is?new, timely and opportunities are great.

By 2050, the world’s population may reach a whopping 10 billion and with more people comes more demand for – food, fashion, travel, housing and related aspirations. An increasing number of people are unable to meet basic needs while two to three billion new urban consumers and youth will receive the majority of their information from social media. In a world stretched thin for resources and under the threat of global biodiversity loss and climate change, our lifestyle decisions are putting the planet at risk. We need targeted action.

(https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/resource-efficiency/what-we-do/sustainable-lifestyles)

As the human population is exploding, resources are shrinking. Concerns loom everywhere, from declining pollinators affecting food security, to air and water pollution affecting the quality of life, and land shortage and degradation affecting both agriculture and biodiversity. This is an important moment to find solutions for sustainable living, in harmony with Mother Earth.

Sustainability has always been a core component of Indian culture. Its philosophy and values have underscored a sustainable way of life.

India is one of the least wasteful economies. It has frequently been acknowledged by stakeholders for its cooperation and efforts to promote climate change mitigation, and environmental sustainability; this has been through policy measures, dialogue facilitation between nations, and taking decisive steps, especially after India emerged as a key player in shaping the Paris Agreement, along with adopting energy-efficiency measures.

Sustainable and environmentally friendly practices and psyches still continue to be part of the lifestyle and culture. India has both a culture of hoarding (in case something might come in useful), and thriftiness (re-use and hand-me-downs). It is not an uncommon sight in an Indian household to witness an old cloth being used as a duster.

(https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/what-india-can-teach-the-world-about-sustainability/)

India's G20 Presidency, under the visionary leadership of Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, is guiding the work of the G20 on the theme of - “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth. One Family. One Future” - drawn from the Sanskrit phrase of the Maha Upanishad, which means "The World Is One Family".

For mindsets and behaviors to change, it is imperative that the change comes from within on realizing the impact of one's own actions for the rest of the world. Easier said than done- NO. Collective Human Endeavor knows no limits.

Image courtesy: REUTERS/Amit Dave