Welcome to 2021! Our theme for the month – and for all of 2021, in fact – is sustainability. It will inform everything we do and create in-house, with and for our community and our clients.

You might be wondering, ‘What does sustainability have to do with diversity, equity and inclusion’. Well, by the end of the year we hope to have shown you the infinite ways in which those concepts are intricately tied. We’re excited to share our interpretation of what it means to be sustainable in an intersectional and interconnected way.

And what better place to set the tone than with Diversity Dictionary.

Sustainability

For many, the word ‘sustainability’ might instantly evoke words like ‘environmentalism’ or ‘climate justice’. Often, this comes with the implication that individuals are somehow separate to their environment. It puts the focus ‘out there’, in the oceans, forests and natural world.

We’d like to offer a more holistic interpretation. One that sees human beings as inextricably part of our environment. As Sir David Attenborough has said, “This is not about saving the planet, it is about saving ourselves.” Sustainability begins with us.

In 2020, many people will have experienced burnout, trying to juggle many different responsibilities during a pandemic - as well as existing within systemic oppression. Sustainability is the opposite of burning out.

It is about continuing the push for climate justice, social justice and racial justice while recognising and respecting our finite resources. That includes our social, environmental and economic resources but also spiritual, emotional, mental and physical resources too.

Ultimately, whatever toxicity we are trying to eradicate from society and the world, we must also seek to eradicate within ourselves too. For example, what kinds of judgments, victim-hood or attachments to material things might we be holding on to that are holding us back?

Once we begin to take care of ourselves and become truly conscious of the impact of our everyday actions, behaviours, thoughts and language (even those directed towards ourselves), we will see the positive ripple effect on our surroundings and for generations to come. For us this is true sustainability.

Capitalism

Critics of capitalism associate the system with social and economic inequality; unfair distribution of wealth and power; materialism; repression of workers and trade unionists; social alienation; unemployment; and economic instability.

It is highly exploitative of both people and planet. It is driven by a desperate need for profit and accumulation. (Source: Simon Hannah on @Open_Democracy)

Racial capitalism connects the rise and success of capitalism to colonialism and the global, historical exploitation of black, indigenous and people of colour through the slave trade, indentured labour, theft of land and genocide.

From a sustainability perspective, when resources are finite, there are serious limitations to capitalism’s goal of constant profit, accumulation and growth. We can see those limitations play out through the ongoing climate crisis, financial crises (since the crash of 2008) and even the health crisis of COVID-19, where private ownership means a small elite of individuals profit while many are disadvantaged and exploited.

Commentators have claimed that we’ve entered ‘late capitalism’ or that capitalism is coming to an end. Meanwhile, there are economists and reformists who believe capitalism can be transformed for good and it can become a sustainable model.

No matter where you stand on this, looking at capitalism holistically as interconnected with many other systems we exist in, as well as our individual responsibility for perpetuating or challenging these systems, and taking in the bigger picture can be an important and helpful step in moving towards long-term sustainability.

We can choose collaboration over competition. Conscious consumption over mindless materialism. Community over individualism.

Circular Economy

A circular economy is an economic system where we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. (Source: WRAP in the UK)

This is an alternative to our current linear economic system, which is based on extracting, processing, shipping and selling a finite supply of resources. The current system is inherently unstable and unsustainable. (Source: Intersectional Environmentalism on Instagram)

The current system was also built on the erasure, exploitation and vilification of non-European cultures and people who for centuries lived in a ‘circular’ way, without needing to call it that.

When discussing a circular economy in the twenty-first century, it is important to centre the voices of those who have preserved generations-old systems of knowledge, even in the face of oppression and appropriation.

Additionally, much of the conversation around a circular economy centres around material production, use and consumption. What we rarely see discussed is how people are treated. Current economic models rely on forms of modern-day slavery and exploitation.

Often the most marginalised in society are the worst affected by these issues along the lines of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, socioeconomic status, immigration status, geography, education and language. From a TOB perspective, a circular economy must take into account how people are treated, respected and valued.

This also applies to how we treat ourselves. If our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual output is not balanced out by its input, this is not sustainable. A reimagining of a circular economy must also factor in how we prioritise our own wellbeing in a way that encourages rest and renewal rather than endless productivity.

Part of our mission at The Other Box is to educate as many people as possible in the language of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). On all our social channels, we share weekly words and their definitions, with a different theme each month.

These terms are a taster and have been taken from our Diversity Dictionary™ module in our Know Your Bias™ course. If you'd like to learn more, check out our courses page and fill in the contact form. 

Is there a theme you’d like to see covered in Diversity Dictionary? Let us know! Our work is co-created by our community to work towards creating a world that is more inclusive and safe for everyone.

Words by Roshni Goyate

Header image by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash