Living Green

The Importance of Living Green

By Bryan Hayes

What is the importance of Living Green in the first place? What is the significance of sustainability? What is the value in putting a value on our planet?

While we are going to disagree – be divided on issues – not see eye to eye, we can agree that we all strive to be sustainable. No matter our viewpoint, we all want to have a sustainable environment, whether from a granular level that is literal or figurative. Being sustainable in our world, in our life, is something we all desire.

Beyond that, there are going to be differences. What we put a significance on, what are our priorities are become diversified. What we deem as important not only for ourselves but for our families, our communities, and the planet at large, are all unique. How we see the world is through our own lens of perspective that influences our decisions.

What we value most and what are our top priorities is exemplified and can be extrapolated by where we put our resources like time, money, or labor. We may value the planet, but do not feel a need to have that as a top priority. Likewise, environmental sustainability may not be perceived as a most pressing need depending on the individual.

What is the root cause of instability, whether it be environmental or otherwise, also comes into question. There are more questions than answers. And, even the answers invoke more questions.

While we are going to disagree and while closing the gap of what divides us is not going to happen anytime soon, we can find common ground. In fact, the ground itself is common to us and a place where we can begin. Wherever we are, whatever we may think is true or not, we all do so while standing on a common ground that is the Earth.

If we cannot come together at least we can be together as we look up when we go outside, as no matter where we are, we will be looking up at the same sky. The clouds, the day, or the night, may be different depending on our location but we all, no matter what we believe, all share in the most common denominators. The sun, the moon, the sky they are all around us all.

The discussion of whether, as we drill down to look at the individual issues, should be devoting our resources to the protection of our natural resources and a sustainable environment. It is not a discussion that can be put off indefinitely. What we value today will become a direct and indirect reflection of our tomorrow. What we do today will also affect generations to come.

While we may not take into consideration future generations, they will be the benefactors of all that we do and who we are. It may not be in our lifetime that we see all the results of our decisions, our actions, and our inactions. It may not even be in our children’s lifetime or their children’s lifetime, but what we do (or not do) though is not confined or constricted to this time and space.