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At first I saw sustainability as something to help form my personal identity. The most significant identifier I remember associating myself with from a young age has been ‘environmentalist’; a self-proclaimed tree hugger. Since this was the main configuration of my identity, when the concept of sustainability was presented to me, it was purely an environmentally based thought. The sustainability concept was a way to support the values I was taught as a child and a way to validate what brings me happiness. Although this was my initial perspective on sustainability, a few years of life experience have been encouraged the evolution and growth of the meaning of this concept. My four years at Dickinson have served as a catalyst to alter the significance of this word in my person life, and how I interpret the world around me. Learning to deepen my critical thinking as I absorb the various environments around me has also broadened my perspective to the flaws and downfalls. As sustainability continues to radically change me, and I hope to radically influence sustainability throughout my lifetime.

I began to question why I was interested in sustainability and why I felt passionate about all the projects I have been a part of that incorporate this common theme. I realized that this word is however I perceive it and whatever it means to me and what I value. This concept is a value that is ingrained in me. At my core it is a symbol of opportunity. An opportunity to take action in support of an altered perspective and alternative method to the conventional lifestyle, culture and values that are instilled in modern day society. For me the foundation of sustainability is built off of a desire to live and advocate for a society that values a life of content and genuine satisfaction; a life that is not based off of consumer society and short-term pleasures. Sustainability is en-route to authentic and long-term happiness that can be found through a change in change in values, a change in how people perceive the world around them.  I think the mainstream conception of sustainability does not send the message of the sustainability that I work for and dream of on a daily basis. The modern sustainability culture is one that works within the current confinements of the broken structures that make-up humanity. The promotion of sustainability in media does not exemplify the truth of what this can mean for the world, it is simply a continuation telling humanity how to live and what to life for.

When I think of sustainability, the word inclusion immediately comes to mind. I associate the two words more strongly in my senior year then ever before throughout my four years at Dickinson College. To my dismay, I have increasingly discovered that sustainability has become a way to continue the same excluding structures that have already existed in our society for centuries. From my experiences of initiating and participating in sustainability initiatives in northeastern United States, I thought sustainability was something to unite people around the world, and build communities of all sizes, shapes, colors, classes, cultures, and beliefs. I still dream about that vision, that reality, of sustainability. However, I find myself stressing inclusion through the initiatives I am a part of to compensate for the separation and divisions I see sustainability creating in my own communities.​

The sustainability I dream of steps out, leaps out, and speaks up in the confinements we have been taught to function in and says, ‘we are going to try something new this time’. I hope to continue to challenge sustainability in my future endeavors. I want to push local initiatives, and the larger movements, to be more inclusive and a catalyst for community building, more than any movement that has come before us. Sustainability does not stand a chance of reaching its potential if it does not consider the social, economic, and environmental variables. I want to inspire those who are dedicated to sustainability that we can be a movement unlike any other. We can all unite under this common ground. We are not being true to the nature of sustainability, we are not being true to ourselves, and we are not being true to our communities, if we chose to ignore injustice and consistently prioritize privilege over justice. Sustainability challenges us to provide for all the living things on this earth with the environments we live in. If we ignore and prioritize some people or some regions over others, we have not met this challenge. If we ignore our fellow humans and environments we are a part of, then what are we living for really?​

Though my experiences and studies I have come to believe that sustainability initiatives cannot remove or separate humans and the environment from their vision, planning processes, and implementation. Integration and acceptance of the reality of human communities and the role we play in our ecosystems is vital to sustainable projects. The integration of human activities and how we impact and utilize ecosystem services must be a method that is used in anything that claims to be sustainable. If we move out of denial and into the acceptance of the state of our world and our communities, we can create beneficial solutions for the future of our world as an all-encompassing environment. I will continue to question sustainability efforts that are not inclusionary and narrow in their perspectives and goal-sets. Now that my minds eye has been altered, I will continue to incorporate social and economic sustainability, and support projects that emphasize this lens. I hope to focus more on community building through sustainable initiatives and other relevant issues such as food access. It is my hope and dream that in the future sustainability will not be seen or perceived as a privilege but a right that includes all people and parts of our environment.