Who does "sustainability" benefit?

Simple answer: you

The answer to this question depends on how you ask it. Do you ask it from a critical point of view, trying to justify a point of view, or a larger picture of essentially a definition?

Perhaps the easiest way to approach this is to give a basic definition of what it is. Sustainability in that sense is simply a means of maintaining. Maintaining what? Maintaining a good, and healthy life. Very few people would not want this so we re-affirmed the simple answer above.

A critical standpoint would be from monetary benefit. Who makes money off of a principle or a "way of life"? This is a multi-faceted answer. From the way we live today, a market-driven society filled with consumption with a constant "new and improved" persona, it's the manufacturers of goods and services that are making the money. The new clothes we buy (due to style, not wear), new car, new MP3 player, new cell-phone - all based on want, not need. This want drives a profitable market which is very evident in the commercials and advertisements we see every day letting us know of what "new thing" we have to have. It doesn't matter why, just so as long as we have it.

As we know, most of the things we discard still has life in it, but we no longer wish to have it because we want something new. And if it's slightly damaged, even though it can be fixed easily and inexpensively, we still opt to "upgrade." Because we can. This is a can-have society that drives the economy we know today. Supply and demand tells us that the manufacturers are quite eager to sell us anything we want. If we want it, they shall manufacture it for us. If we look at sustainability principles strictly from items that have sustainable qualities (solar panels, rain and compost barrels, compact fluorescent light bulbs, etc) then its these manufacturers that will make money off of what we request. Most companies can adapt based on need so it's not surprising to find a company that made harsh chemicals convert to something which is more environmentally friendly. The same employees remain, the same delivery infrastructure remains, just the products they manufacture changes. So, from a market standpoint - nothing changes - just the products manufactured.

To showcase who benefits from sustainability when confronted with a critical point of view towards sustainability is a tough endeavor. To best explain this requires a very large point of view!

Humans are a unique species that discard more than they "re-use". All other species have a life cycle that uses their surroundings to the best way possible creating no waste as other sub-species "feed" off it - and the cycle continues. It's a delicate balance set up over millions of years and it fascinates scientists to this day as to its complexity and efficiency. It's a sustainable system that uses the waste of one to create food for another. A sort of natural-recycling - harnessing the waste of one for the energy of another. So in this sense, sustainability is simply an efficient re-use of energy. So who benefits, we do - by creative re-use of our waste eliminating needless re-manufacturing and in turn resources. This is just about waste, what about food and products?

Sustainability does have some negative aspects as it relates to an established system of free-market. Sustainability teaches to consume less, which does hurt the economy if it doesn't adapt. It's no consequence our leaders are telling their people to maintain consumption - to keep shopping! But we believe that a speech like that ignores a people's ability to see the large picture. It's the market that fails if it can't keep up with our demand of better and less. Why do we have to suffer with low-quality and over-spending when the companies are the ones that need to keep up with us!

A critical viewpoint toward sustainability has a root beyond what we can say in this website. It was established long before we ever showed up. If you are one with this critical view - please refer to yourself and find the source. Chances are, it doesn't relate to sustainability whatsoever. Regardless of what you discover, this is a concept that was here long before humanity - we're just applying it to our lives. In the end, our ability to grow, to be able to adapt, separates us from a static humanity to one which can learn from its mistakes and live and lead a more healthy and profitable life than ever before. Remember - large scale perspective!