“One of the least meaningful and most overused words in the English language is 'sustainability.' For most Americans, it means something like 'pretty much the way I live right now, though maybe with a different car.' A good test of any activity or product described as sustainable is to multiply it by 300 million (the approximate current population of the United States) and then by 9 or 10 billion (the expected population of the world by midcentury) and see if it still seems green. This is not an easy test to pass”
Explore This Quote Further
Analysis of Quote from David Owen
In this quote, David Owen criticizes the often misused term "sustainability," particularly in American society. He argues that many people view sustainability as simply maintaining their current lifestyle with minor adjustments. By emphasizing the importance of considering the impact on a larger population, Owen challenges readers to think beyond their individual actions and consider the broader implications of their choices. This quote highlights the need for a more holistic and long-term approach to sustainability.
The Challenge of True Sustainability
David Owen's critique of the term "sustainability" highlights the need for a shift in mindset when it comes to living in a truly sustainable manner. In today's world, where the population is rapidly increasing and resources are becoming more strained, it is more important than ever to reevaluate our definition of sustainability. Let's explore what it means to truly live sustainably in a modern context.
Critical Examination of the Term "Sustainability"
"One of the least meaningful and most overused words in the English language is 'sustainability.' For most Americans, it means something like 'pretty much the way I live right now, though maybe with a different car.' A good test of any activity or product described as sustainable is to multiply it by 300 million (the approximate current population of the United States) and then by 9 or 10 billion (the expected population of the world by midcentury) and see if it still seems green. This is not an easy test to pass” - David Owen".
Reflection Questions
In his quote, David Owen challenges us to critically examine the concept of sustainability and how it applies to our everyday lives. Let's reflect on the following questions to deepen our understanding:
How do you personally define sustainability in your own life? Do you agree with Owen's assertion that the term is often used loosely and lacks true meaning?
When considering the impacts of our actions on a larger scale, such as at a national or global level, do you believe that what is considered sustainable for one individual or community can still hold true when scaled up to accommodate a much larger population?
In what ways can we shift our thinking and behaviors to truly live in a sustainable manner that would be feasible and beneficial for a much larger population? What changes are necessary in order to pass Owen's test of sustainability when multiplied by 300 million or even 9-10 billion people?
These questions encourage us to critically evaluate our understanding of sustainability and challenge us to consider the broader implications of our actions on a global scale.
Similar quotes
“It is to a dramatist, which is to say, to an unfrocked psychoanalyst, stunning that that which has sustained the Left in my generation, its avatar, its prime issue, has been abortion. For, whether or not it is regarded as a woman’s right, an unfortunate necessity, or murder, which is to say, irrespective of differing and legitimate political views, to enshrine it as the most important test of the Liberal, is, mythologically, an assertion to the ultimate right of a postreligious Paganism.”
“Yet as one senior administration official noted to me, 'People who blithely say that we'd win a trade war because China obviously couldn't sustain the damage caused by cutting off their goods are just naive and silly.' Any significant trade restrictions the United States imposed on China would swiftly lead to an equally harmful retaliation on the United States. That is why the most effective lobbyists against tariffs on Chinese goods are American companies that buy from China, do business in China, or have ventures with Chinese firms. So as Obama's outburst [of 'I need leverage!' to staff on a visit to Asia in 2011] underscored, the form of leverage threatened most often by Washington politicians looking for an easy applause line actually offers little leverage at all.”
“I have said that there is no "average" American. That is due to the circumstance that the people of the United States differ from each as widely as the parts they live in. The New Yorker is a different specimen of man from the Westerner; the latter is entirely different again from the people of Texas. The Middle West, such States for instance as Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska or Iowa, have an entirely different psychology from that of Florida or Lower California. Their habits of life, their modes of thought, even their language is different. Still further, it must also be considered that millions of foreigners and descendants of foreign born people live in the United States and are part of the entire population that is known as "American". Add to this more than 10 million negroes, not to mention the score of different Indian (red-skin) tribes, who are the real, indigenous Americans. In this conglomeration of races it is impossible to speak of the "average" American, nor can any adequate estimate of American psychology be made on such a basis.”
“There are many things in this world that are an outrage, to be sure, but death at our current life expectancy doesn’t strike me as one of them. Maybe I sound like some Victorian who felt that forty years ought to be enough for any man, but one of the marks of a life well lived has to be reaching a state of finally getting it, of not needing more, and of being able to sign off with something approaching peace of mind.”
“There are all kinds of ways for a relationship to be tested, even broken, some, irrevocably; it’s the endings we’re unprepared for.”
“Sin does not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still laboring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be the most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.”