Most people think of saving the environment when they hear the term sustainability. It has to do with recycling, pollution, renewable resources. The definition of sustainability that I really like is: “the parallel care for the planet and the people on it”. With that definition it is easier to see the connection to diversity and inclusion, inasmuch as the people on the planet are very diverse. Experts readily agree that there are three pillars to sustainability including economic, environmental and social. Each of these pillars are interdependent and must work together to achieve overall sustainability.
Sustainability requires systems thinking, the ability to see the connections that each of these pillars represents. If any one of the pillars is weak, sustainability is impossible. Many of the efforts towards sustainability focus only on one pillar at a time. The largest system of them all is the biosphere we live in. It contains the human system, which has two main systems: social and economic. We have put a lot of focus on all three of the pillars but not in a synergistic way that acknowledges the interdependencies. Continued social and economic inequalities inhibit our ability to sustain the planet. For example, as long as 70% of women around the world live in poverty, our overall economic condition will not improve.
Some large companies like Sodexo and Dell have actually put sustainability under the purview of the Chief Diversity Officer to recognize the interconnectedness.
Sustainability is obviously paramount to the survival of the planet and we need to more actively connect the key pieces in ways that move the system and not just one pillar.
