Thank you Isaias! I am an Italian content creator focused on sustainability topics as you. I totally related to most of what you said. I was not born into a poor family, but into a family where a mentality of scarcity and poverty towards money was strong. I remember recurring phrases like "it's no use" "we don't have the money for this" "money doesn't grow on trees" and similar things. My parents are deaf. I didn't have the privilege of traveling with them as a child because it was unthinkable, they wouldn't have known how to speak in foreign countries. When I became a teenager and started working at 16, I bought lots of low-cost flights to European capitals and holidays. We have never wasted food at home, so much so that even today, even if I'm full I feel bad if I don't finish what's on my plate or I see my friends wasting food. Today it sometimes happens, due to too much work, that we don't have time to buy local or cook good food, sometimes it's wasted. The question of technology is also true. I try to be good, I have a Macbook air since 2017, a refurbished iPhone 12 Pro and no other work tools. I refuse to buy Apple Watches, Play Stations, mega screens and much more. But technology is expensive, requires time, money, sucks energy and mental health. There would be a big discussion to have. I conclude, I really liked your part of her used clothes of hers. For me, buying from second-hand shops since I was 17 (you made me realize this only now) tells me that I have an open, curious mind, because whether I was looking for something or not... maybe I would have found it , maybe not, maybe I wouldn't have found it exactly how I wanted it but I accept it and for me it's a satisfaction. how many beautiful things I found in the second-hand markets. I like sustainability because in addition to requiring your mind to rethink itself for survival, you never get bored. it is pure wealth, abundance and regeneration in perspective. Thank you for your work, I hope to meet you in person one day.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Alice! It's so beautiful to see how, collectively, as beings across the country, we have similar lived experiences, and this illustrates how sustainability is unique but also commonly shared amongst cultures, even if it came from practices or behaviors of scarcity and some were hard lessons to learn for our adult lives. I really appreciate the technology component because I know for sure I feel that it's a constant battle with this one too and how much it drains our wellbeing. I am hopeful for people like yourself that are bringing these discussions to your community because at the same time we are losing the battle and we need people to activate their community members around the importance of this type of framing.
Yes yes yes. This video helps encapsulate what I've been feeling about sustainability for quite some time. I've also noticed as my income increases, my sustainability has been decreasing. I am now considering buying a car instead of taking mass transit in Chicago because I can now afford a car and it's maintenance and I can decrease my time traveling. I can afford to buy more groceries and throw out half-used produce whereas in college every single food item I bought was used. I never ever got food delivery until I had a real income outside of college. There is definitely a relationship between convenience, income, and available time when it comes to sustainability. I don't think there is such a thing as "perfect sustainability" in the US. plenty of cities/towns have underdeveloped mass transit, and people must have a car to go to their jobs and survive. Because the US has very few walkable cities compared to Europe, it is almost impossible for most of the country to have perfect sustainability, just looking at transportation. I also think there is not enough emphasis from most sustainable-focused influencers to educate their following on sustainability demands for companies and industries. There is a lot of push for regular people to be as sustainable as possible, but there is much less discussion on accountability for industries, or how to hold our politicians accountable to funding sustainable practices. Personally this causes a disconnect for me and makes me feel like most sustainable influencers are missing the point and come off unauthentic. Finally, I want to note that I have yet to see any real discussions about sustainability and mental health. People with mental health issues lose a lot of their free time due to their illness e.g. various therapies, doctor appointments, having episodes, etc. They have to conserve their time and limited energy everyday to important tasks like hygiene, work, family caretaking, etc. There are days where I do not have the mental capacity to rinse and sort my recyclable items due to my mental illnesses. There is a certain air of perfectionism in the sustainability community that is honestly not healthy for someone like myself trying to unlearn perfectionism. It is important for me to acknowledge that I am doing the best I can everyday, and I don't see a lot of that energy in the sustainability space.
Thank you so much for sharing and I agree that so many cities today are underdeveloped and the infrastructure in the US is collapsing because they decided to build things short term and cheaper than building for longer term generations. As our incomes increase I've been going back and fourth to examining my sustainability levels because there are days where I am mad at myself that I'm not as sustainable. This is so true around lifestyles and mental health and I think that we are living under time poverty, where the average American does not have enough time to complete all tasks in a day, especially if they are a parent, disabled, or chronically ill + other issues. This is why I do love labels of imperfect environmentalism and sustainability still because it is much more inclusive than back then in 2018 with the zero waste lifestyle movement and how much it was dreadful to look at the following structures and perfectionism it held. Thank you so much for sharing, I really appreciate it
Thank you, as always, for sharing your unique perspective and experiences shaping your journey so far. I can see how you think sustainability is an illusion, especially with your background. There is one theme in your work I see, and probably the most important step for sustainable living, and that is self-reflection. I do think those who had opposite experiences need a framework, like zero waste, to help change their mindsets and habits. Labels can help people find likeminded folk with similar ideas, and as more people join these movements those ideas will be challenged and expanded upon, which i think is healthy for movements to make significant impact, especially as corporations continuously try to profit from them.
This is so true and I think that words are powerful markers for identifying culture and love for the work they are adopting in their actions. This is why it's so important to hold nuance for both cases of validating that labels work for a majority of people and some labels don't always work for everyone, depending on the community, engagement, and praxis. It's true that we are losing the battle at the end of the day and losing precious time that we need everyone whether their framework is to label or non labeling themselves as sustainable. I do think now with imperfect environmentalism and sustainability it's more friendly approaching than back in 2018 with the zero waste lifestyles.
Thank you Isaias! I am an Italian content creator focused on sustainability topics as you. I totally related to most of what you said. I was not born into a poor family, but into a family where a mentality of scarcity and poverty towards money was strong. I remember recurring phrases like "it's no use" "we don't have the money for this" "money doesn't grow on trees" and similar things. My parents are deaf. I didn't have the privilege of traveling with them as a child because it was unthinkable, they wouldn't have known how to speak in foreign countries. When I became a teenager and started working at 16, I bought lots of low-cost flights to European capitals and holidays. We have never wasted food at home, so much so that even today, even if I'm full I feel bad if I don't finish what's on my plate or I see my friends wasting food. Today it sometimes happens, due to too much work, that we don't have time to buy local or cook good food, sometimes it's wasted. The question of technology is also true. I try to be good, I have a Macbook air since 2017, a refurbished iPhone 12 Pro and no other work tools. I refuse to buy Apple Watches, Play Stations, mega screens and much more. But technology is expensive, requires time, money, sucks energy and mental health. There would be a big discussion to have. I conclude, I really liked your part of her used clothes of hers. For me, buying from second-hand shops since I was 17 (you made me realize this only now) tells me that I have an open, curious mind, because whether I was looking for something or not... maybe I would have found it , maybe not, maybe I wouldn't have found it exactly how I wanted it but I accept it and for me it's a satisfaction. how many beautiful things I found in the second-hand markets. I like sustainability because in addition to requiring your mind to rethink itself for survival, you never get bored. it is pure wealth, abundance and regeneration in perspective. Thank you for your work, I hope to meet you in person one day.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Alice! It's so beautiful to see how, collectively, as beings across the country, we have similar lived experiences, and this illustrates how sustainability is unique but also commonly shared amongst cultures, even if it came from practices or behaviors of scarcity and some were hard lessons to learn for our adult lives. I really appreciate the technology component because I know for sure I feel that it's a constant battle with this one too and how much it drains our wellbeing. I am hopeful for people like yourself that are bringing these discussions to your community because at the same time we are losing the battle and we need people to activate their community members around the importance of this type of framing.
Some really fascinating reflections, Isaias. Thank you so much for sharing and inspiring us all to look inwards. 💚
Thank you so much!
Yes yes yes. This video helps encapsulate what I've been feeling about sustainability for quite some time. I've also noticed as my income increases, my sustainability has been decreasing. I am now considering buying a car instead of taking mass transit in Chicago because I can now afford a car and it's maintenance and I can decrease my time traveling. I can afford to buy more groceries and throw out half-used produce whereas in college every single food item I bought was used. I never ever got food delivery until I had a real income outside of college. There is definitely a relationship between convenience, income, and available time when it comes to sustainability.
I don't think there is such a thing as "perfect sustainability" in the US. plenty of cities/towns have underdeveloped mass transit, and people must have a car to go to their jobs and survive. Because the US has very few walkable cities compared to Europe, it is almost impossible for most of the country to have perfect sustainability, just looking at transportation.
I also think there is not enough emphasis from most sustainable-focused influencers to educate their following on sustainability demands for companies and industries. There is a lot of push for regular people to be as sustainable as possible, but there is much less discussion on accountability for industries, or how to hold our politicians accountable to funding sustainable practices. Personally this causes a disconnect for me and makes me feel like most sustainable influencers are missing the point and come off unauthentic.
Finally, I want to note that I have yet to see any real discussions about sustainability and mental health. People with mental health issues lose a lot of their free time due to their illness e.g. various therapies, doctor appointments, having episodes, etc. They have to conserve their time and limited energy everyday to important tasks like hygiene, work, family caretaking, etc. There are days where I do not have the mental capacity to rinse and sort my recyclable items due to my mental illnesses. There is a certain air of perfectionism in the sustainability community that is honestly not healthy for someone like myself trying to unlearn perfectionism. It is important for me to acknowledge that I am doing the best I can everyday, and I don't see a lot of that energy in the sustainability space.
Thank you so much for sharing and I agree that so many cities today are underdeveloped and the infrastructure in the US is collapsing because they decided to build things short term and cheaper than building for longer term generations. As our incomes increase I've been going back and fourth to examining my sustainability levels because there are days where I am mad at myself that I'm not as sustainable. This is so true around lifestyles and mental health and I think that we are living under time poverty, where the average American does not have enough time to complete all tasks in a day, especially if they are a parent, disabled, or chronically ill + other issues. This is why I do love labels of imperfect environmentalism and sustainability still because it is much more inclusive than back then in 2018 with the zero waste lifestyle movement and how much it was dreadful to look at the following structures and perfectionism it held. Thank you so much for sharing, I really appreciate it
I’m definitely choosing to fly less this year to save money and emissions!
You already know we are reducing our flights this year, haha :)
Thank you for pointing out how sustainable poor people are.
Of course, thank you for watching!
Thank you, as always, for sharing your unique perspective and experiences shaping your journey so far. I can see how you think sustainability is an illusion, especially with your background. There is one theme in your work I see, and probably the most important step for sustainable living, and that is self-reflection.
I do think those who had opposite experiences need a framework, like zero waste, to help change their mindsets and habits. Labels can help people find likeminded folk with similar ideas, and as more people join these movements those ideas will be challenged and expanded upon, which i think is healthy for movements to make significant impact, especially as corporations continuously try to profit from them.
This is so true and I think that words are powerful markers for identifying culture and love for the work they are adopting in their actions. This is why it's so important to hold nuance for both cases of validating that labels work for a majority of people and some labels don't always work for everyone, depending on the community, engagement, and praxis. It's true that we are losing the battle at the end of the day and losing precious time that we need everyone whether their framework is to label or non labeling themselves as sustainable. I do think now with imperfect environmentalism and sustainability it's more friendly approaching than back in 2018 with the zero waste lifestyles.