Why I started Becoming Sus
Hey there!
There was a time when I woke up and my first thought was not about Climate Change and the need for Climate action!
And I know that this is not the case for most of us as well.
And that's completely fair. And that's what keeps us diverse.
It's great that you may wake up thinking of fashion, protecting human rights, the latest transformers Funko pop, the recipe for noodles with a mint chocolate sauce, staging a front to stop child trafficking, the patient who needs your care, the code that just doesn't seem to run or like me, who would wake up to a morning ritual of my dad being frustrated at my laziness!
Imagine how boring, one dimensional would the world be if everyone cared (and nobody cried) about the same thing! The world would dissolve into a serious condition of "tunnel vision".
The Motivation
I've always fancied writing and staying away from people.
And I tried blogging about books and write book reviews.
I then graduated to writing short stories and then a newsletter that I chucked out of the window about things I learn from the books I read.
I've always had varied interests. I indulge myself in books, pop culture, music from languages I don't understand, science and climate change!
I needed a way to learn more about climate change, climate action as I decided to pursue my career and higher education in Sustainable Energy Tech.
I realised I can use Becoming Sus as a platform to push myself to learn more so that I can share more. I'll have to force myself to make new connections in order to know more about the amazing people who are doing their best out there and hope more people join together to make our planet livable!
One person can't save the Earth.
And that's about where this comes from. I can now bring you information about Climate Change, Climate Action while indulging myself in anime and random movies on Netflix! That's how I can justify binge-watching the Mandalorian to be productive!
There's no point providing references people don't get, Haha!
What I wish to do in Becoming Sus
I once asked a few friends of mine what they think of Climate Change and each one of them had a different response and some even had strong views of what *should *****be done. We also argued on ways and means of solving it for over an hour and yet we had no concrete actionable solution.
Each of us gave a solution. And we disagreed on many ideas.
I thought about it and a pattern emerged!
Climate Change is Real
But, when you think about it. Just telling it doesn't make it true or believable.
There have also been many before me who have shown facts to most of us and yet people debate about it.
People aren't convinced with just facts. People need narratives that move them. They need a common stance.
Climate Change is a very complex problem
Perhaps this is a very valid reason why we couldn't see eye to eye.
Solving one aspect of climate change in many cases is also a cause to another factor.
I say, "We should use Banana leaves for packaging instead of single-use plastics"
Someone would say, "Yeah, and what about the chemicals needed to grow the plants and the increase in land required for plantations! Considered that?"
This is where the concept of sustainability comes in. We need to collectively think of Sustainable solutions in everything we do.
We can't take a step back to be Sustainable
People I've interacted with, believe the way forward is to take two steps back. Go back to the simpler days when things were Sustainable. (Game of Thrones is enough proof that those definitely weren't "Good old Days)
But, that is definitely not fair!
Most countries in the world have only just begun to see the fruits of development. We cannot simply ask them to make a drastic change and curb their development. We can't ask the developing world to stop to offset the cost on the environment inflicted by those who have already developed!
Sustainability is not about going back. Sustainability is about taking steps forward harmoniously with nature and all living beings.
There isn't much we can do.
You must have heard "If each one of us does X, then imagine how much we can save Y!"
And there are uncountable combinations of X and Y. And one person just cannot do everything.
It is also a privilege to be able to fight for climate change which most people in the world cannot afford to spend time on.
If you are reading this, then chances are you are one of the most privileged people like I am. And like it or not, we are the cause of many of the problems the world face.
But the solution is simple, but not easy.
Do your bit. Do what you can. Do it in whatever capacity you can.
The Final Push
This newsletter would not have been possible if it weren't for Emily Atkin's Heated, Ryan from Crowdsourcing Sustainability, Neelima Vallangi from Climate Matters and Lou from Light's On!
If there's anything I learnt from the works of these amazing people is that we can't let Climate Change be a "new normal" especially after witnessing the immense suffering of each human being in the Post Covid era. We desperately want to get back to the old ways.
But, we can also accept the Post Covid normal which hopefully helps us become sustainable.
In the end, we need to realise that Sustainability isn't something we wake up and Do! It is a concept we need to live by. Not should, not can. Need.
This newsletter is in a way my pursuit of Becoming Sustainable.
And I hope you would join me in this journey. Hop on. Let's make change the new normal. And let’s do it Now!
This time, let me have the honour of saying, "Avengers Assemble!"
And if you believe this is something you resonate with, do spread the word. The more the merrier. The more, the faster the change.
In the end, it does matter. So do your efforts. And your opinions. I’d love to hear your thoughts on becoming sustainable!