Sustainable Now

A lot of the rhetoric about sustainability is about what we need to do to protect the future. While this is important it doesn't seem to be the "selling" point that is bringing in the masses to the sustainability party.  In the practice of Buddhism the focus is on the moment now, not worrying about the past or the future.  I wanted to explore what that might mean as an idea of looking at sustainability through the lens of the now rather than doing all this effort for the future.

To start, the future is not a sure thing. We don't know what it will look like and it is so difficult to predict.  But what we do know is that our behaviors right now have affects that are immediate.  When we look at our behaviors and how they might impact people and the planet right now, we have a reaction to that.  For instance, when I buy something organic, it isn't only about the future of the planet it is about me choosing a product that was produced in a way where farmers were not exposed to chemicals, where water and soils were not polluted and where I will be healthier - all of this right now.  Or if I choose not to drive my car, I am right now not polluting.

You could even look at this in a selfish way - who cares about the future... the more sustainable decisions you make right now are about living the best non-harmful life you can.  Maybe this might resonate with people more.  Making better decisions today, means you gets to see your results much sooner?