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Sustained VOICES
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Sustained
VOICES

And this is what sustainability is all about ...

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GDRC Feature

From EGO to ECO

Sustained Voices on Sustainable Development

Have your say for sustainability!! Send in a message ...
  "Sustained VOICES" is an interactive feature of GDRC's Sustainable Development Programme that presents views of visitors on how we can achieve sustainability, especially at the individual and community levels.

These views not only reflect ways in intrapolating global problems and issues to the micro level, they also exemplify the old saying - little drops of water make the mighty ocean - where small actions taken by each of us individually and daily, can collectively help achieve sustainability goals.

So "from EGO" - how can we change our very egoistic and self-centered decision-making with respect to our daily lifestyles? And move on "to ECO" - how can we move on to changing our behaviours and consumption patterns so that it is more ecologically and environmentally sound?

All comments below are presented as-is without editing. Submissions are added manually, to avoid incomplete messages or spam. Opinions and views expressed are, of course, as attributed, and do not reflect those of GDRC.

  • "It should help everyone not be self centered."
    - Annalise Smith, Australia

  • "Sustainable Development should be real development which not only enrichs us, but also the society and environment"
    - Rajesh Prasad Dash, India

  • "Sustainable Development is progress that considers human wellbeing and nature at local and global scale for posterity. It is a form of planned development which could meet the needs of present and future generations while at the same time maintaining the health of planet Earth"
    - George Agri Ambukwa, Cameroon

  • "To me sustainablilty is about looking after our environment for future generations and most importantly we should create awareness and educate people in communties about the importance of our environment."
    - Tumelo Motaung, South Africa

  • "Sustainable developmentis positive thinking that derives healthy development which enabled to narrowed the circle of concern about poverty, starvation,and other risks aswellas the sense of values that we give for resources that God had authoritized us to use effectively and efficiently as per of our positive thinking."
    - Chala Hailu, Ethiopia

  • "Sustainability, is about realizing that the world wasn't created for our generation alone ... but that it was created for generations past, present and future! We should therefore preserve our Earth in the way we would've liked it to be if we were born 100yrs from now!"
    - Sharon Chimhanda, South Africa

  • "In the field of construction, each element and design principle adapted during the design and construction phases should all be aimed at upgrading of, and benefits to be obtained by, the environment."
    - Stephan Lewis, Trinidad and Tobago

  • "We are all one in this great universe. The plants, the skies, the seas and air has contributed one way or another to support our life on earth. Every being has sole responsibility to be conscious of their action and how they use the earth. The future of our universe depends on our present earth user's action"
    - Paul Titus, Papua New Guinea

  • "Thinking about holistic development by providing maximum emphasis about future generation's fate"
    - Tesfaye Gebeyehu, Ethiopia

  • "The improvement and preservation of the quality of life of all present and future generations around the globe and regardless of sex, religion, or age, and without endangering endigenous heritage, culture, and civilization"
    - E. A. Yousif, Sudan

  • "It's important to think about changing ourselves, instead of trying to change others ..."
    - Soukaina, Morocco

  • "Empowering people, communities and countries to understand, implement and proliferate responsible capitalism, that will positively perpetuate communities, their economies and the global environment. "
    - David F. Calabotta, USA

  • "Sustainability is about expression of human potential without hindrance to fulfilment"
    - Bonnie Ayodele, Nigeria

  • "Sustainability must begin with holistic thinking to enable a better respect and understanding of the environment and on what the life styles we all wish to maintain depend on. If this is realised the desperate need for action on sustainability and environmental protection will finally be understood and taken action apon. "
    - Hanna Plant, UK

  • "Sustainability is all about mintaining a spontaneous good condition over a long period of time."
    - Jinadu Fatai, Nigeria

  • "Sustainability is about foresight and wisdom. The urge to make more money and have more things is pushing the earth's resources to their limits. Progress is a good thing, except when its aim is only to satisfy the "now" needs with no regard to the future."
    - Nya Greenidge, Barbados, West Indies

  • "MAKING THE LESS PRIVILAGED TO STAND ON THEIR OWN"
    - BABA CLEMENT, NIGERIA

  • "What is the measure of sustainability? What are indicators for sustainability? Where should we apply the sustainability between developed and least developing country, Poor and rich people? To tell poor countries to practice sustainability means to stop them from survival. We should first find alternatives for their survival e. g substitute for charcoal to preserve forests, stop wars to protect our natural environment. Sustainability is simply peace and love. If we love each other, share what we have therefore we will attain the SUSTAINABILITY "
    - Nyauhanji, Tanzania

  • "sustainibility is something which is not for us, but for the generations who is yet to come. How can we be so greedy in just living our life and leaving nothing for them."
    - Vivek Sinha, India

  • "Dignity as a human being"
    - Nazar, Aceh, Indonesia

  • "One main component of the sustainable Development is the sustaibale income, which can only be insured if we remove the income inequalities."
    - G. Mohey-ud-din, Pakistan

  • "Living our life like our ancestors, with modern thinking and principals"
    - Norbu, Tibet

  • "Its all about saving the ecosystem for posterity"
    - Eseme Umoh, Nigeria

  • "At the very least, we must aspire for a sustainable globe and overcome our own short comings towards sustainability within ourselves ..."
    - Mrinmoy Das, India

  • "We need to think - what exactly are we trying to sustain?"
    - Louise, USA

  • "To fulfill basic human needs in the community"
    - Asoka Dedigamuwage, Sri Lanka

  • "Sustainable development is first of all, justice, democracy,obligation and rights : we should not ask people to be sustainable in their way of life if they do not feel free and protected from injustice and exploitation"
    - Hassan El Bari, Morocco

  • "We need to look within ourselves as to what we as individuals can do to obtain sustainability."
    - Sammy Gerace, USA

  • "Once you perceive that the world does not end in your yard and, you inherited what your ancestor had left and, life does not finish when you die, is a great contribution to sustainable development."
    - Artur Matavele, Mozambique

  • "Sustainable development is a misnomer. Every physical development by human on earth begins and end. Sustainability as seen in Nature has a beginning but no ending. All natural phenomenon are in cycles of sustainability. Can we emulate that?"
    - Soo Man Heng, Malaysia

  • "Live and let live!"
    - Purushottam, India

  • "First, On a long term basis, the term sustainable development must be replaced as it seems rather contradictory - sustainable "development" (unless it includes that idea of zero-level growth or de-materialisation). It should perhaps be replaced with just "sustainability" (meaning something like "the spirit of being sustainable"). Second, the conceptual and emotional terrains of sustainability must be more than its present focus on only the environment. This is crucial but there is more...Sustainability should be a more comprehensive term covering "sustainable socio-religio-culture", "sustainable technology", sustainable economy", and "sustainable politics"."
    - Nadarajah, Malaysia

  • "Stabilizing and then reducing the global population. Continued population growth is unsustainable."
    - Teresa Audesirk, USA

  • "The biodiversity of life and our cultures are being affected each day. We all have choice and need to find the personal balance in which our biosphere can maintain its equilibrium. Many sustainable solutions exist that reduce green house gas emissions and in turn improve our ecological footprint on the world. It all starts with a personal choice."
    - Brian Sanders, USA

  • "There are many things we can do - reaching out to the needy in the communities in the underdeveloped countries and giving them their birthright; making sure that they are self-dependent in all aspect of life; play our roles by ensuring that things doesn't get to wasting point; guarding whatever is available to us is another factor."
    - Pastor Amankwah, Accra-Ghana.

  • "For how long are we going to sustain? What types of development are sustainable? How does one measure the success of sustainable development programs? Unless we can answer these questions we'd never understand what is sustainable development"
    - Khutso Manyaka, South Africa

  • "Ensuring that all the resources we have are properly used without waste, as well as adopting methods to renew such resources that are renewable for future consumption"
    - Baruch Okpulor, Nigeria

  • "Any intervention should be analysed carefully in depth for increase in the capacity, freedom and empowerment of the most under-serviced people in long-term. It is equally important to make sure that the intervention should either improve or at least maintain the natural resources and ecosystem - only then can sustainable development happen ... "
    - Krishna M. Thacker, India

  • "Doing something for the sustainability of our Earth should become as automatic as washing our hands before a meal, or buying a less-expensive item in a shop. How can we develop such 'automatic' attitudes?"
    - Peter Knight, UK

  • "Sustainable development requires efforts that are sustained over longer periods. There is a need to have proper linkages between people working on these issues"
    - Rahul Sachdeva, India

  • "It's all about reaching out to the needs of people in underdeveloped communities and giving them back their birthright on earth's own loveliness."
    - Obasesam Okoi, Nigeria

  • "Present worlds has more have-nots. They have no education, land, electricity and no access to minimum health care. These phenomenon prevails mostly in under developed countries - more in remote village areas. If these poor are attended with programmes to develop their capabilities through training, educations with subsequent motivations, then these poor village mass can can be developed for self-employment generations with capacity build-up to sustain and fight back against poverty. To me sustainability could be achieved these way among the poor mass of remote village areas."
    - Mirza GQ Kibria, Bangladesh

  • "We need to include cultural knowledge in the development of communities. Somehow I feel that communities need to own what the development of their being."
    - Vusi Shongwe, South Africa

  • "Sustainable development is about facilitating empowerment; making public institutions more accountable and responsive to the poor, strengthening their participation in the decision making process that affect their daily lives. And about removing the social barriers that result from ethnicity, race, religion and social discrimination. Incentives must be created for people to use more efficient technologies to improve their skills."
    - Dawit, Switzerland

  • "An integrated approach of solving mans' basic needs without jeopardizing the potential for future generation to also solve their own problem,using the present available natural resources and the ecosystem. The search for mans insatiable need should not be achieve at the expense of environmental degradation and pollution with its attendant extinction of various bio-species and natural resources, water-bodies and ecosystems. "
    - Crisler Ankrah, Ghana

  • "The second generation - What is sustainable is that which is adopted, adapted, used and transmitted by the next generation"
    - William Partridge, USA

  • "I think that the principle of living within the limits that nature sets out is the foundation of this thing called "sustainability". It maybe a utopic principle considering the western worlds obsession with fossil fuel energy, over consumption, individual rights over community needs and not to mentioned one stupid mans idea of sending a human back to the Moon so we can "find the skills we need to send a human to Mars" and so on, but it is a principle that could lead societies towards lessening our ultimate impact on Earth so at least we all survive for a few more generations.....at least!

    I am not sure 'sustainability' is something to be 'achieved' rather something to always work towards - like democracy and freedom for example (do we ever really 'achieve' democracy or freedom?). By always striving for "it" we continue to improve and grow as individuals and ultimately as a society, as our horizons expand and our selfishness diminishes and, as my theory goes, the individual and then society becomes more 'sustain' 'able'."

    - Steven Bernasconi, Australia

  • "Striking a balance between development the the preservation of our resources whether they be environmental, social or economic for the betterment society and for future generations"
    - Pip Stalley, Australia

  • "It is all about collaboration in every sense of the word. The people who have the need know best!! We must embrace this paradigm shift if our participatory procedures are to bear desired fruit in sustainable development trends."
    - Beryl Aseno, Nairobi, Kenya.

  • "I would like to reduce my overall ecological footprint - reducing what I use, and how much I use. That way, I can do what I can and also inspire others!"
    - John Gabrial, USA

  • "I think the best way we can achieve is to always ask the question, do I really need this?. By asking this of myself every day, for every lifestyle choice I make, I think we can collectively make an impact."
    - Alfredo Mello, Venezuela

  • "To become sustainable, we can learn from the poor too - in making do with as little as possible, but enjoying a 'rich; life!"
    - Mokuye Njuguna, South Africa

  • "I will work with businesses in my neighbourhood in trying to make them more 'green' - for example, by instituting a 'green procurement' policy or implementing ISO 14001"
    - Ramon L. Clarete, Philippines

  • "Much can be done by the shopkeepers in my community - the small store to supermarkets and department stores. There are many restaurants too - if all of them start to think more sustainably - imagine what can be be achieved in just my corner of the world!!"
    - Mitra Kumar, India

  • "Waste is a mounting problem in our community. There is so many things ending up as waste that I really think we have to do something about it - even before it becomes 'waste' We all have a role to play, and we just have to do it!"
    - Justin Clarke, USA

  • "Preparing for a disaster - or reducing the vulnerability to a risk, has many advantages that go beyond the original purpose. Most important is the community coming together as a group to plan and implement a disaster management plan. This group dynamics can be used for other developmental purposes too!"
    - Hideyuki Miura, Japan
    Have your say for sustainability!! Email us your message ... Have your say for sustainability!!
    Email us your short message on what you think is sustainability all about. Remember to include your name and country


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Contact: Hari Srinivas - hsrinivas@gdrc.org