{"id":1818,"date":"2018-03-30T11:32:34","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T06:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tibetnature.lhasocialwork.com\/en\/?p=1818"},"modified":"2018-03-30T11:41:40","modified_gmt":"2018-03-30T06:11:40","slug":"sustainability-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/sustainability-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"6306145981_e931895d00_b\"<\/a>Sustainability has been defined and practiced for at least 30 years. \u00a0How relevant is its practice today to the readership of Lha\u2019sContact Magazine (Contact) and Tibet Nature Environmental Conservation Network website (TNECN)?<\/p>\n

This article defines the term Sustainability and summarises 6 environmental articles that show sustainability in practice. They, in turn, ask the readership to reflect how they can personally do more for their environment and its sustainability.<\/p>\n

Many definitions of sustainable development exist. The original by the Brundtland Commission remains the most quoted: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs\u201d. (Brundtland Report, 1987).<\/p>\n

Or as HH Dalai Lama said shortly after: \u201cAs people alive today, we must consider future generations: a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility towards others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy, if not healthier, than we found it.\u201d (HH Dalai Lama, 1990)<\/p>\n

Look around you and ask the question about what you see: Is it sustainable? It may be maintenance of a section of road, a new phone or internet connection, what you eat, the water you drink, the waste water you discharge from home, a house or temple extension etc. It\u2019s not easy.<\/p>\n

Often it is better to think of the individual economic, social and environmental benefits (strengths) and costs (weaknesses).<\/p>\n

Sustainability is maximized where all three are strengths. For example:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Snow Leopard Conservancy, India Trust (SLC-IT) has provided villagers with secure domestic animal enclosures against snow leopard depredation and homestay options (see Growing snow leopard importance article)<\/a>. Snow leopards will seek their preferred wild animal prey instead, villagers will be happier that their domestic animals are safe and will receive a higher income from their sheep and goats and from tourists.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ice Stupas will conserve water until later in the season, help villagers with crop irrigation and provide extra income for sale of crops (see Climate change status and action article).<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Someone giving an experience rather than a gift will reduce material costs, improve the environment and may make people happier (see Reducing waste and material use article)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Topsoil protection will usually be a net financial benefit and will benefit the environment by offering a fertile and stable landform. It will benefit people, especially farmers and those impacted by landslips (see Saving our soils article)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Walking instead of taking a taxi\/bus which burns fossil fuels will save cost, mitigate climate change impacts and may the person healthier (see Climate change status and action article).<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Banning vehicle horn use in McLeod Ganj, as in Kathmandu (The car horn is uncivilized: how Kathmandu streets went quiet, The Guardian, 24\/10\/17) will have no cost and may raise money from fines, will benefit the noise environment and make the streets more pleasurable for everyone.<\/p>\n

Sometimes two strengths may be offset by a weakness. In this case, the overall sustainability strength will be less and help future generations less. For example:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lha\u2019s drinking water filtration plants have supply and maintenance costs. They benefit the environment by replacing other potable water supply for others to use and have demonstrated healthier more productive students (see Improving our water quality article)<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Waste reuse or recycling will have a financial cost but may be less than landfill cost. Yet, either will benefit the environment – less litter and landfill –\u00a0 and it may make people happier (see Reducing waste and material use article)<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Grey water treatment\u00a0 will have a financial cost unless done by , will benefit the environment and will ensure down-steam people have healthier lives (see Improving our water quality article)<\/a><\/p>\n

Some of these examples depend on interrelationships and interdependencies.<\/p>\n

In relationships, these ideas may be at a spiritual, philosophical, or behavioral level. They may manifest in day-to-day practices.\u00a0 For example, the elimination of car horns in Kathmandu was behavioral and could equally apply in McLeod Ganj if stakeholders agreed.<\/p>\n

\"Figure;Typical<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure;Typical Life Cycle analysis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Interdependencies may be technical or systematic. Technical interdependencies may require an understanding of lifecycles sometimes referred, as in people, by the term \u201ccradle to the grave\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Technical inefficiencies either at each step or between steps may be economically costly and little value to people or the environment. The waste \/ material prevention example eliminates these inefficiencies. Grey water treatment options are more complex as they are a step in the water cycle.<\/p>\n

System inefficiencies may also apply in above examples. Likewise, setting aside grazing areas for wild animals will help snow leopards.<\/p>\n

Undertaking an eco-footprint analysis will show how many equivalent Earth\u2019s you are consuming and help you decide how best to reduce your footprint (see Climate Change status and action for an Indian analysis, or this global one which compares countries). \u00a0The whole family could be involved.<\/p>\n

World Environment Day (5 June each year) gives us an opportunity to reflect on these ideas and sustainable practice.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Lha introduced a contest and awarded prizes for essays on \u2018Connecting People to Nature\u2019. The topic was similar to the one suggested by the United Nation\u2019s World Environment Day theme. Many good essays were submitted. The three prize winners can be found on the website (posted TNECN, 12 June 2017). <\/a>Most submissions explained sustainability and interconnections from a broad philosophical perspective. What does good and bad practice look like?<\/p>\n

For 2018:[A1]<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lha would like good and bad practical examples. They can be written and\/or pictures and open to school children and adults. The series of recent articles published in Contact and TNECN may help.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lha has registered with the United Nations World Environment Day 2018 and proposes an event celebration under the theme of ????? [A2]\u00a0as follows ??????[A3]<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lha has registered with the United Nations World Environment Day 2018 and proposes an event celebration as follows ????? [A4]\u00a0and to award essayists for good and bad practical examples on 2017 theme of \u2018connecting people back to nature\u2019.<\/p>\n

Thinking and acting more sustainably will not only benefit us but the next generation.<\/p>\n

Simon Cavendish, Marvin Westerveld and Amelia Rozelle<\/p>\n

References<\/em>
\n Brundlandt report, 1987<\/em><\/p>\n

HH Dalai Lama, 1990<\/em><\/p>\n

The car horn is uncivilized: how Kathmandu streets went quiet, The Guardian, 24\/10\/17)<\/em><\/p>\n

Global Footprint Network eco-footprint calaculator<\/em><\/p>\n

World Environment Day<\/em><\/p>\n

TNECN, 12\/6\/17<\/em><\/p>\n

Contact articles above<\/em><\/p>\n

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Sustainability has been defined and practiced for at least 30 years. \u00a0How relevant is its practice today to the readership of Lha\u2019sContact Magazine (Contact) and Tibet Nature Environmental Conservation Network website (TNECN)? This article defines…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-natural-resource"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1818"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1825,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818\/revisions\/1825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}