Sustaining Us

I first learned about sustainability when my then college boyfriend (now husband) described an earthship to me in college. He told me this could be the future of housing. An architect student at UTSA, he taught me how sustainability should be incorporated into residential and commercial development from concept to final build.

Conceptually though, sustainability was and is so much more than an environmental conservation tactic. It is a philosophy to apply to every aspect of our lives. Is our job sustainable? Is there a proper balance of value to your market rate and living wage to your personal and family life? Are we providing just economic development that will not deplete non-renewable natural resources? Have we built a relationship on trust, transparency, friendship, and love that will sustain us for a lifetime with change and reinvention? What can a sustainable future and life look like?

We can make a more sustainable world through so many avenues. From our support to the circular economy to the intentional spend of our every earned dollar. For me, part of my passion work in sustainable initiatives lies in protecting and preserving the dark night skies, so that future generations can see the stars, constellations, and Milky Way as all inhabitants of our earth have been able to observe since the beginning of time.

Jo Marchant in her book The Human Cosmos Civilization and the Stars summarized today's dark sky issue best "Today, as light pollution envelops our planet, the stars are almost gone. Instead of thousands being visible on a dark night, in today's cities we see only a few dozen (and astronomers fear these will soon be vastly outnumbered by artificial satellites). Most people in the United States and Europe can no longer see the Milky Way at all. It is a catastrophic erosion of natural heritage: the obliteration of our connection with our galaxy and the wider universe. There has been no major outcry. Most people shrug their shoulders, glued to their phones, unconcerned by the loss of a view treated as fundamental by every other human culture in history."

When my friend and former colleague Steven Schauer asked me to speak about my leadership, work in, and love of dark sky preservation on his new and exciting podcast Stories Sustain Us, I was thrilled at the opportunity. A chance to tell the story of the dark skies and how easy it is for all of us to make changes that reverses light pollution. Thank you Steven Schauer, MPA for reminding me how my sustainable journey came to be and why I work to keep the sacred night. (For more information on our efforts at DarkSky Colorado or how to get involved visit darkskycolorado.org)