As we all know, the concept of sustainability is "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs". I learned this from Brundtland Report which is considered as one of the greatest pieces of literature written on the subject matter. The report famously known as "Our Common Future" was issued in 1987. Wasn't there sustainability before? Of course it was. Here are some examples which spans across different religions, cultures, etc.
One of the salient notions of sustainability is Reuse. During the regime of Buddha (about 2600 years back) Buddhist monks effectively used the concept of reuse. This was practised basically be reusing the robe worn by the Buddhist monks. When the robe was no longer able to be used, they did not throw away the old robes. They used the same for bed covers/ pillow covers. Once the bed covers/ pillow covers became old, they used them for floor carpets. When the floor carpets bacame old, they used the same as foot towels. Upon deterioration of the foot towels, the monks broke up the old foot towels with a sharp knife, mixed them with clay and plastered them over the walls of their lodgings. With the newest technology at our doorsteps, how many of us have tried this with our old belongings. Have we ever tried preparing pillow covers from old bed sheets. We casually go into the shops to buy new pillow covers. Aren't we?
Muslims do not keep their dead bodies within expensive caskets. We all know that the caskets are buried and will not be of any use after that. This is one of the 3 R concepts of sustainability named Reduce. Have you ever thought that the expensive caskets we use with synthetic materials will be detrimental to the environment owing to less biodegradability? So respect the dead person by not letting him/ her become a burden to the environment.
The Bible states "God commissioned people to steward the earth's resources." It states we are not the originals, but the images, our duty is to use the original (i.e. the nature created by god) as our pattern, not ourselves. This teaches us a good lesson on living in harmony with the environment. That is Environmental Sustainability.
Most of the Hindus being vegetarians automatically promote sustainability as meat production is detrimental to the environment due to Green House Gas Emissions.
Likewise, there are ample examples which can be cited from various religions and diverse cultures who has been adhering to sustainable practices thousands of years ago.
Now coming back to the question of who invented Sustainability ? Prior answering this question, let me ask you a question. Who invented America? Most may say Christopher Columbus. You are wrong. With all due respect to the great navigator, Columbus was lost in the sea and saw a land where there were native Americans. It was the native Americans who discovered Columbus. America was already there, nobody needed to invent America. In the similar fashion, Sustainability was always there since the beginning of this universe. Nobody invented Sustainability. It is poor us, the so called modern humans who are searching for the land called "Sustainability" as we are lost within the basic concepts in living in harmony with the nature.
One of the salient notions of sustainability is Reuse. During the regime of Buddha (about 2600 years back) Buddhist monks effectively used the concept of reuse. This was practised basically be reusing the robe worn by the Buddhist monks. When the robe was no longer able to be used, they did not throw away the old robes. They used the same for bed covers/ pillow covers. Once the bed covers/ pillow covers became old, they used them for floor carpets. When the floor carpets bacame old, they used the same as foot towels. Upon deterioration of the foot towels, the monks broke up the old foot towels with a sharp knife, mixed them with clay and plastered them over the walls of their lodgings. With the newest technology at our doorsteps, how many of us have tried this with our old belongings. Have we ever tried preparing pillow covers from old bed sheets. We casually go into the shops to buy new pillow covers. Aren't we?
Muslims do not keep their dead bodies within expensive caskets. We all know that the caskets are buried and will not be of any use after that. This is one of the 3 R concepts of sustainability named Reduce. Have you ever thought that the expensive caskets we use with synthetic materials will be detrimental to the environment owing to less biodegradability? So respect the dead person by not letting him/ her become a burden to the environment.
The Bible states "God commissioned people to steward the earth's resources." It states we are not the originals, but the images, our duty is to use the original (i.e. the nature created by god) as our pattern, not ourselves. This teaches us a good lesson on living in harmony with the environment. That is Environmental Sustainability.
Most of the Hindus being vegetarians automatically promote sustainability as meat production is detrimental to the environment due to Green House Gas Emissions.
Likewise, there are ample examples which can be cited from various religions and diverse cultures who has been adhering to sustainable practices thousands of years ago.
Now coming back to the question of who invented Sustainability ? Prior answering this question, let me ask you a question. Who invented America? Most may say Christopher Columbus. You are wrong. With all due respect to the great navigator, Columbus was lost in the sea and saw a land where there were native Americans. It was the native Americans who discovered Columbus. America was already there, nobody needed to invent America. In the similar fashion, Sustainability was always there since the beginning of this universe. Nobody invented Sustainability. It is poor us, the so called modern humans who are searching for the land called "Sustainability" as we are lost within the basic concepts in living in harmony with the nature.
very good.
ReplyDeleteNice article on sustainability
ReplyDeleteThanks.Any suggestions for more topics?
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