I'm not sure whether people have totally come to terms with how fast our population has grown throughout the world in the last few decades.
In 1970, the population of earth was only something like 3.7 billon.
Here we are, only 50 years later, and it's almost 8 billion. Soon to be even more.
We've doubled in less than 50 years, and human history is recorded for thousands of years. What happened so suddenly? What allowed us to suddenly become so much more successful?
Well, the answer is honestly a ton of unsustainable practices that were established by early, big money that allowed and facilitated a "crafted" lifestyle idealism that has driven the world's drive for improvement and expansion for the last 100 years or more.
But the easier way to say it is that once we secured a few of the things that made it easier to survive; like energy, water, and food availability; we made expansion of our estates the next big goal.
With this growth came all kinds of opportunities to make it big in even simple ways!
Image: @Happylittlefishes
The Food that Built America (on Hulu) presents a series of stories about how food culture in the United States shifted. I was blown away when I heard that Pizza wasn't delivered to the White House for the first time until 1989.
Seriously? That's almost the same year I was born! I basically can't imagine what my childhood would have been like without pizza parties... But then I have to stop myself and think...
It seems to me that, time flies so fast that historic changes are often washed away in the torrent of new information and exciting content that we are suddenly experiencing daily. It's almost as if, historic progress becomes commonplace.
Things that, 20, or 30 years ago, were revolutionary and innovative and "the next big thing" are today broken or "vintage" technology that many scoff at.
This is dumb to me, though. I've heard it from a hundred people before, "They don't make things like they used to" or "it's just not built to last anymore"
What the heck is this madness? Why haven't we "built to last" our most essential, lifeline infrastructure? or our plumbing? Why haven't we "built to last" our shipping industry?
I'm sitting here feeling concerned for the entire region I live in because the main rivers and lakes are running dry or are too low to retrieve water from. Yet, despite all of the concern about water, millions of us live next to an OCEAN!!! Where the heck have the innovators that solved problems for the last 50 years gone? Why are we drinking river water and killing ecosystems? That seems dumb on the surface until you start to look at the finance of the operation, and the scale. Unfortunately, there is no other way; need to desalinate ocean water. It's where the most supply is....
In a way, this is a repeat of the oil business model. Take everything that is on the surface, then dig until you find it and strip it from there too.
We have run our rivers, aquifers, and even our air currents dry as a bone. Now the only place left to get it is the ocean. Seems like Nature takes care of itself, right? Well, what if we let it flourish?
Oh wait, are you concerned about sea level rise? Well then this is even more of an incentive for us to take it out and put it up on land again or back underground.
I, for one, don't care if it's expensive, Especially if its an expense that companies and governments fight over. Let 'em. I want consistent water to drink.. They have billions or trillions available to play with, while some of us have drops.
Without clean water, the government will collapse. It's an essential service that HAS to be provided OR ELSE millions of people will die. What's more important? Red tape regulation obedience? Or safety and life-giving water?
How do we balance profits and the drive to be better always with our planet, and our mental and social health or our economic functionality? I mean, like I said, I love pizza and I appreciate having options, but shouldn't there be a point where we say,
3, or 5, or 10 options are enough. More breeds inefficient, or unsustainable behavior and consumption, and thus creates unrealistic expectations and demands. We need to learn to be content with what we have in plenty, and be less finicky with options that are effectively equally satisfying, instead of complaining.
How do we adjust for mistakes and assumptions that were made while the economic booms and busts of the 1900's were happening. I mean, come on! Look at how vast and how terrible the impact of COVID has been, and how many poor government and business decisions were made as a result of assumptions both before and after the impact.
I guess, what I am trying to say is that, we have the brain power as a world of people, together, to find common objectives that will help us find our footing for this new century.
In the last 20 years, the whole world has had a pretty rocky and unstable start to a new century. There have been wars, economic, natural, and civic disasters. There has been turmoil and conflict in almost every corner of the world as some point over the last 2 decades.
I believe, that if we gather together and solve some of the biggest environmental, and sustainable problems without griping amongst ourselves, that we will finally find security and economic stability follows. Not for one, but for ALL.
This is the true test though.
Sustainability HAS TO BE open source.
The technology that saves lives and fosters communities can't be held over people or cultures or countries that need it like a carrot on a string.
Literally, By definition, I believe that sustainability is about open source sharing of progress that could benefit the people.
Sustainability CAN'T be some "proprietary" technique or idea that people have to earn or buy, because sustainability is about the provision of resources that allow for life in abundance, WITHOUT infringing upon current or future generations to experience the same life in abundance.
Right now, due to the reliance of many of the world superpowers on an oil driven economy, horrendous costs on humanitarian fronts are incurred and create more and more tension among countries who "own" things.
If sustainability was the expectation. If Sustainability was the baseline. If it was a human right like I believe it should be. Then I believe that decisions from businesses would be rooted in better practices, and culture would shift to allow for holistic implementation of best practices. Although I know that times of famine can create the drive to solve problems. But I also believe that once a person has security in their stomach and safety in their sleep, life can be lived to a fuller extent, and real progress can be made.
With some of the solutions that Greenisms and many other innovative companies around the world have envisioned; sustainability may be on the horizon.
Once some of the worlds biggest sustainability concerns are addressed, the choke point of innovation will be opened, and the world will thrive. Together we can live full and long lives. If we grind gears over preconceived nonsense and fight the important and necessary changes by holding onto inefficient and damaging practices we will fail.
I know it's possible because "WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY" (6 Million Dollar Man - 1974) (lol. i'll bet Elon has put WAY more than 6 million into his rendition..... sigh...)
But are we going to do something about sustainable solutions for you and your community? Or are you going to just let other people do it?
Thanks for reading!