maintain a balance that can be perpetuated. In the environmental sense, I see it more as being a part of the biotic community and living within the means that contribute to the success of all other beings,” said Rachel Chamberlain, a senior in Conservation and Restoration Ecology and QCNR Senator. Social Development
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For people to care about sustainability we need to understand why it’s important. Social development requires educating the public about sustainability as well as safeguarding people’s access to basic resources, public health, and quality of life.
10 TIPS FOR LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY // Megan Nielsen The word sustainable has become very trendy in today’s discussions, and not because it’s a new idea, but because it’s becoming abundantly clear that living more sustainably is essential for the preservation of quality of life on this planet. So what is sustainability anyway and how can we incorporate sustainability into our lives? Sustainability is often looked at in three main elements: Environmental protection, social development, and economic development. Environmental Protection To have a sustainable relationship with the planet, we need to be aware of how our use of the environment affects the environment. Environmental protection means examining those effects and finding ways to minimize the negative ones and maximize positive ones. “Sustainability to me means living, working, and being in harmony with other systems as to
“It is important that everyone understands sustainability and incorporates into their lives because we all live on this planet. As a society, we have to acknowledge the damage we have done to this planet that has the potential to make this planet unlivable, it already is for countless species. Everyone should incorporate sustainability into their lives to give the future generations a livable, healthy, bio-diverse planet,” said Audrey Lidgard, a junior in biology and the co-president of the Student Organization for Society and Natural Resources. Economic Development Sustainability cannot succeed without economic development to incentivize people, communities, and organizations to invest their resources in sustainable ways of living. “I think sustainability has a bad connotation with some people, but understanding that its purpose is to ensure livelihood for humanity as a whole helps people see that it isn’t just an inconvenience,” said Maria Catalano, a junior in Conservation and Restoration Ecology and co-president of SOSNR. This big idea of sustainability can seem overwhelming, but students at Utah State University believe it doesn’t have to be. “When I started getting involved in sustainability, I saw it as a very mechanical exchange of resources. Reducing plastic consumption by x kilograms, driving x less miles per week to take out x pounds of emissions, making buildings energy efficient to cut their energy usage by x percentage. As I’ve grown in my understanding of sustainability, it becomes more apparent how it works itself into the more qualitative aspects of life… These really have made a huge difference and has shifted my view of sustainability into more of a lifestyle instead of just something that happens externally, to some other entity besides myself,” said Bryce Johnston, a junior in Conservation and Restoration Ecology and Engagement Intern in the Student Sustainability Office.
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