𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 - 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗡'𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗠 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗜𝗧 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

Each day, each second, so many people are working hard to make this world a better place. There are sustainability consultants, sustainability chief, sustainability ambassadors, sustainability anything out there. And still, most companies and organisations and even our societies are struggling a lot with concrete measures and actions to actually improve our planets ecosystems. 𝗪𝗛𝗬?

As a trans- and interdisciplinary scientist in the environmental science, my take on that issue might be a bit different and wider than what you normally hear:

Since the Industrial Revolution, we have been obsessed with optimalisation and continuous improvement of all things in life. From our societal systems, such as the legal and financial systems, to organisational processes and products. Companies have infinite departments that focus on specific processes. Our news have become focussed at specific clientele, specific opinions, and all our parents told us was “you are 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘, you can do whatever 𝗬𝗢𝗨 want”. We are obsessed with differences and uniqueness, being seen and heard. Finding the delta in all flows and creating generic ways of working for them.

We have been focusing on that “𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘” selling point. But what happens when we optimise? We create individual languages, ways of communications and ways of working that optimise the effectiveness of the system. Let’s take the legal system and a designer; or HR and Consultants: all systems have created their own languages, words, ways of communication within the systems and specialised on its uniqueness.

We are now at a point where all systems are so specialised that communication between the systems seems nearly impossible.

𝗕𝗨𝗧 here comes the tricky part: we are all still part of a whole system called earth. Everything we do is somehow connected. Sustainability is an interface characteristic of how one systems actions impact the possibilities and actions of other systems.

So when we are focussed on uniqueness and difference systems fail to find common ground, impacts and their connections. If we don’t know our impacts and connections to the systems, we don’t know how to improve or even become sustainable.

𝗦𝗢 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗢 𝗪𝗘 𝗚𝗢 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘?

Zoom out. Refocus on common understanding, find out what systems you are connected to and how we impact each other.

Get. Rid. Of. The. Noise!

I’m curious what you think about it?

#sustainability #environmental #sustainable #communication #people #science #communications #transdisciplinary