Let's Talk About the Bottom Line

Image credited to Genius Works 2009

Hey there everyone! As a recent graduate I often get asked what my degree is in and what I've noticed is that almost every single time that I respond with sustainability studies, I get asked what that entails. It seems that almost everyone is aware that sustainability focuses on helping the planet, but not much else and there is so much more to it than that. So today I would like to focus on one of the driving principles of the sustainability movement, the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). This may sound familiar and that's not surprising, as a capitalistic society most of our businesses and social norms gear towards profit or making money above all else. That's what the traditional bottom line is all about. The TBL still incorporates the economic portion of society, because regardless of our preferences, money still makes the world go round figuratively speaking. This is where it takes a turn away from the old model, in that it focuses on making sure that the environment is not destroyed or contaminated in the pursuits of these profits while also ensuring that no people are being harmed or exploited as well. A good way to remember the portions of the TBL is to remember these three words, people, planet and prosperity. Once we start addressing these three factors in all of our societal pursuits, we will be well on our way to forming a sustainable society.

Now I know this sounds like an incredibly difficult thing to incorporate into our society and you're right. I'm not here to lie to you. This will be difficult at first but anything worthwhile takes work to achieve. There are plenty of ways that we can work together to make this into a societal norm, the best is to educate yourself and not just classically. We need to become emotionally, socially and politically intelligent. Another suggestion is to take small steps towards a sustainable lifestyle, as the cliché goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. Well good habits take a while to build as well. Finally, get politically active. We may only be able to take baby steps, but by making sure we get educated, competent and caring people into positions of power we can make great leaps and bounds. So please, consider the benefits of a society that cares not only about being wealthy, but being healthy, smart and compassionate as well.

Thank you all so much for taking a look, I hope you enjoyed it or it at least made you think. I would love to hear what you all want to learn about, if you think of anything please leave a comment below. If you would like to pass along any constructive criticism or just ideas and suggestions please comment as well. Until next time, peace out!