inhibiting future generations ability to do the same. This is a somewhat paraphrased interpretation of the Brundtland Commissions definition of sustainability. To myself sustainability is a philosophy that teaches how to live and prosper, not only for yourself, but for the world as a whole. My feeling toward sustainability is always changing, ever evolving, as I learn more. It seems sustainability was always on my mind, even before I had a word for it. I always wanted to preserve and protect.
"A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something"- Donella Meadows.
Systems are everywhere, and everything is a system. No matter how much you attempt to break it down. The first time I really remember thinking about something as a system was when I was watching a gripping documentary about ants. I realized that it is not at all about the individual ant; the mandibles, the strength, the force of a sting, is nothing compared to the colony. An individual ant is as insignificant as a blood cell in our own body. Warrior ants are the immune system, fighting off attacks, worker ants are the digestive system, providing nutrients, and the queen is the brain. I realized something profound, something new that I had never even considered. Ants are a person too.
Systems thinking is a lens used to view the world in a non-linear fashion. All to often we have to analyze things in A+B=C form. In other words we have to follow a set pattern that will produce pretty, well manicured results. The problem is the natural world does not always produce well rounded results. Consider the Butterfly Effect, a butterfly flaps it wings in a Phoenix suburb, unbeknownst to the butterfly she produces a ripple that sets events into motion that causes a tsunami in Japan. System thinking is holistic approach to problems. A look at connections between parts, and goals of an organized, or seemingly unorganized mixture of data.How then do we become sustainable? Is it possible for our society to analyze linear data sets and provide us with an answer or solution? It is possible for the results to show us what the problems are? For example, the global climate is warming because of excess CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere, is a very linear statement. Not that linear problem solving is bad, here we were able to see the root of the problem, CO2. Now we must change to a systems perspective. The global climate is warming unless... The rest of the statement is not important, what is is that no longer are we stuck in the A+B=C model. Now we must explore options, generate solutions, think holistically and work toward a sustainable future.
UPDATE 2/6
I have, like most people had natural aversion to holistic or systems thinking. My example is going out to eat. Whether it be a fast food joint or a reputable restaurant. I will intentionally block out all I know about the system. This is of course out of guilt. I know its bad for everything I care about including my health and the health of the world.
I am very aware of the system of water in the mountains. It is how I based my livelihood for years being a river rat and ski bum. I was in tune with the forecast days out and with what that meant for the snow-pack and sequentially the runoff.
