There's a part in the popular movie The Matrix (Part I) where
humans are likened to viruses. "Every mammal on this planet," explains Agent Smith, "instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area." I remember seeing the truth in what he said, and it bothered the hell out of me. I struggled with the idea--I sure didn't want to be a virus, but it seemed like everything I did somehow hurt the environment--until one day in college, I read a book by Daniel Quinn that changed my mind.

It was then that I learned that humans haven't always lived like viruses.
They haven't always survived and flourished at the expense of the environment, like parasites. In fact, humans lived like any other mammal for three million years, and have only recently been wreaking havoc on this planet for the past 10,000 years. This, to me, meant that humans aren't biologically programmed (or morally justified) to destroy the environment. And it meant that humans could, if they wanted to, live sustainably on Earth, because they once did.

But who wants to live in a cave and eat roots for the rest of their lives? I know I don't. And I don't think we have to.

Delay Things, or Change Them

When you think of helping the environment, you tend to think of things like recycling, organic vegetables, and conservation. I used to do all that and then some, but I could never shake the nagging feeling that it wasn't making much of a difference. I mean, recycling meant that fewer trees were cut down, and less waste was created, but my efforts were just slowing things down, not changing them.

A lot of the stuff that we associate with helping the environment is really aimed at lessening all the damage we cause. But we never question why we cause so many problems in the first place, or if it's even necessary. Do we really have to harm our environment in order to survive? Maybe if we were parasites. But we're not. Humans as a species are creative, intelligent, and versatile. Because of that, we can find a way to live that is not only sustainable, but satisfying and comfortable as well.

Sustainable Ways to Make a Difference

I once read an article in a fitness magazine that judged all the different kinds of exercise machines available. Ultimately, it concluded that the best machine to use is the one you like most because no matter how less effective it is than the others, it's the one you're most likely to stick with. Likewise, what good is a sustainable alternative if it's a pain in the neck to implement? Maybe a few dedicated (and wealthy) individuals will use it, but the masses won't, and they're the ones causing most of the damage! So in that respect, many of the things we normally associate with helping the environment aren't really all that sustainable!

These are the kinds of things I think about and share here on SustainableWays.com. I believe that most of us want to help make things better, perhaps because we can't help but sense the fact that the health of our environment is so intimately connected with our own, but it can be overwhelming, not to mention exhausting and costly. Trying often leads to what I call "martyr burnout"--when in your attempt to help the world, you stretch yourself too thin and end up feeling frustrated and paralyzed. Trust me, I've been there.

So, what I've adopted is an approach to making things better that focuses on doing a few, very effective things rather than doing a lot of not-so-effective things. My aim is to develop a picture of sustainability that's worth looking forward to, and share with others my efforts in getting there. That is what this website's all about....still want to know more? Keep reading, and don't forget to check out the SustainableWays.com newsletter.

About Me

My name is Krystle, and this website is the fruit of my labor. I've always wanted to live sustainably, but for the longest time I didn't know what that meant or how to do it. When I finally started to figure it out, I decided to make a website to help others who want to do the same.

I live in Westchester County, NY, just north of the city. I've lived here most of my life, but I also spent part of my childhood in Argentina, which is where my mother's from. I went to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where I majored in Ecology and Evolution. That's where most of my ideas regarding the environment originated. I left college before graduating for financial reasons, but continued my education by getting a job at a local bookstore, where I cultivated a variety of interests (sustainable architecture, knitting, and mythology, to name a few). After I left that job, I drew all my knowledge together and created this website, and it's been growing ever since!

The discussion of what's sustainable and what's not is continued in the SustainableWays.com newsletter, which you can receive by e-mailing me at Krystle@SustainableWays.com. You can also get more info in the the newsletter section of this site.

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