How much of sustainability is science and how much is activism?

As the world wakes up to new ways of living and doing business, the sometimes philosophical and other times scientific idea of sustainability can be largely misunderstood.

It’s natural to ask why an individual, a business, or whole nation must sacrifice great expenses to meet the science-based definition of sustainability but the answers may be hard to come by.

Maura Dilley, an expert in Organizational Development for Sustainability.

We know certain facts about the biosphere.   We know that nothing disappears and we know that everything spreads.  I didn’t make that up.  It seems kind of lofty to some people but I think we really need to talk about it.  If nothing disappears and everything spreads, then why in the world would we be making something that we can’t biodegrade?

According to Maura, the basic needs of people have been the same over time, it’s the satisfiers that are different.  As we identify our needs, we’re in a much better position to substitute what satisfies them for something we can all live with.

For our full discussion with Maura Dilley on sustainability, click here.

Photo by phoenix2428.