Every year new buzzwords surface to the top of conversational mumbo-jumbo as the key phrases to say when hoping to impress or relate to those around you. Whether co-workers, siblings, spouses or the random person in the starbucks line that decides to use you as their therapist, buzzwords invade our ears, often until they become white noise. Last years buzzwords ranged from “blockchain” to “innovation” to “social justice”; all of these words have importance, yet through their constant inflow, they have lost their meaning and significance. This year’s buzzword: sustainability. Maybe you're talking about the sustainability of the environment? Your relationship? Your business? Whatever route you take, I am sure that this word has not only come in your ears, but also left your mouth. We have decided to use Sustainability Saturday as our day to focus on environmental sustainability. We hope to move past this buzzword to reinvigorate this ever-pressing issue, but often environmental issues seem too far away to change. A question you may ask yourself is: how can I have an impact on a global issue if I am just one person?
At One Solution, we look to our minds as the solution to reverse issues that plague our world. Rather than looking to outside sources to create our happiness and solve our personal problems, we turn to our mind’s innate ability improve our situation. Likewise, when thinking about environmental issues, remember that the Earth came with the innate ability to self perpetuate, we just have to empower it the same way we empower ourselves-- by taking responsibility and having power over our issues. We must recognize climate change as human-induced. We must recognize waste as our own creation. Most importantly, we must recognize the grave effects that these are having on our plants, animals, atmosphere, the world, and the people that inhabit it. Our goal of Sustainability Saturday is to humanize and localize environmental issues in Chicago and around the world in hopes of empowering the community to take ownership of an issue that has always been ours. This year, give the buzzword “sustainability” new and colorful meaning in your life.
-Cambria C. Khayat