How to Develop a Sustainability Mindset

Sustainability is a relatively new term that has gained traction over the past few years due to the rise of the green movement. However, when it comes to sustainability there are numerous ways to apply the term. For example, it could be applied to one's business, the environment, food systems or climate change.

But for the purpose of this article I will break the concept up into 2 parts for a clearer understanding of how to reconcile the difference between mindset and sustainability for more traction.

Mindset: one of the most effective ways to get a grip on mindset is through the personal experiential perspective (PEP). How do you do this? By becoming aware of what drives your behavior. How do your ideologies, assumptions and world-views shape your identity. And do they serve your personal growth? Linked to an understanding of mindset are things like mastering states of consciousness, such as your feelings and thoughts. And progressing up the stages of psychological development - are you able to take on a first, second, third, fourth and fifth person perspective? Obviously the more perspective you can hold, the greater the complexity. This requires one to be very relaxed and open (use an expansive mindset) so as not to get overwhelmed by such complexity.

Sustainability: when it comes to sustainability I mean understanding a global systems perspective (GSP). What do you need to understand a global systems perspective? You need knowledge of the limits of the industrial growth economy on a finite planet. You're also gonna need an understanding of how fossil fuels have shaped this economy to the determinant of the environment. Climate change and global warming are starting to radically affect global systems. And if you were talking about financial systems you would need a comprehensive understanding of how debt-based, usury and fractional reserve banking contribute to booms and busts on world markets, together with increased inequality.

In order to reconcile sustainability and mindset you need an overview of the global systems perspective as well as an overview of the personal experiential perspective. If you're sitting on the 100th floor of a building and you look out down at the streets, cars, vendors and sidewalks below, you'll quickly get a good systems perspective of the way a city operates.

But if you want to incorporate a mindset perspective you're going to have to get down onto street level to have some conversations with people to understand where they're coming from. Can you integrate not just your perspective, but the perspective of the guy sitting next to you as well? And what about the perspective of your community, your city, your country and the world?

Now that we have some understanding of how mindset (a personal experiential perspective) and sustainability (a global systems perspective) work, what are some of the concepts that emerge out of this reconciliation?

Well, above all, we'll have to work towards building local, resilient communities. And how do we do this?

• Support local businesses. When you buy from international businesses you're still supporting the old economic system that's reliant on heavy, carbon-producing fossil fuels to get their products to your market. And this is unsustainable from multiple levels - environmental, economic and social.
• Grow your own food or support local farmers. Locally produced organic food is not only better for you (higher mineral content) but it enhances local communities and restores ecological systems to their natural state through biodiversity. Local organic farming is way more sustainable than industrial agriculture because it doesn't use chemicals or toxins that negatively impact the environment or people's health.
• Produce your own energy. Nowadays things like solar panels are becoming cheaper to install for businesses and houses. Hook some solar panels up to your roof and take your house off-grid. Get your mates to do the same. Imagine the financial impact this could have in the long-term! Not being reliant on faulty, or increasingly expensive utility services (driven by peak oil/coal) is definitely one way to become more sustainable. 
• Work on building thriving local, collaborative communities. How do you do this? Well, there's no right or wrong way. You gotta figure it out as you go along (use trial and error). But key to collaboration is communication. Are you having the types of conversations that will get you to move in the direction of building local, resilient communities? If not, what's stopping you? Who can you network with to build more coherence into your model of sustainability? Do you need a mentor or coach to help guide your sustainability project? And are you working at meeting each other's needs as well as the needs of the community at large?

These are some of my top tips to get you started on the road to a sustainability mindset. You can fill in the meat of the skeleton as you progress towards a more abundant and sustainable future!