Essential to Life

The term “sustainability” has recently become more relevant than ever, especially in the current state of our world and environment. In my opinion, I used to see sustainability as an optional thing that doesn’t have much effect. As the world has continued to move towards a worse state and I have been educated more on the topic, I see sustainability as a crucial aspect that we as a society should continue to push towards. Whether it’s using reusable bags at the grocery store or seeking out more sustainable fashion brands while avoiding fast fashion. Anything we can do to help slow the worsening wicked problems is necessary for everyone in the world to incorporate into their lives. A wicked problem differs from a tame problem due to a variety of reasons. Some of these include the fact that there is no real solution, they are neither good nor bad, and how they are symptoms of other problems. When I initially heard the term “wicked problems” I originally thought it was because these problems were “bad”. I couldn’t wrap my mind around a concept that is not solvable, this characteristic forced me to reflect on wicked problems and our society. After learning more about them I understand more in-depth how complicated these issues are. I see now that it’s due to how difficult and virtually impossible it is to solve the problem.

The 11th-hour documentary was another great source I used to learn about the different wicked problems that affect us and our world every day. I think more education similar to this documentary should be taught starting from a younger age in school. For example, I only started recycling last year when I started college because my family didn’t and my school mentioned it but didn’t explain how important it is for everyone to recycle. Similar to the reading over Rittel-Webber, I think one of our biggest issues is getting everyone on the same page in order to start making any prominent change. This is another point that differentiates a wicked from a tame problem. Tame problems usually seem to have more people on board compared to wicked problems, making it easier to work towards a solution. I believe that my generation is starting to see the importance of sustainability. I have recently seen a lot of small businesses focusing on sustainable products and shipping while still maintaining a reasonable price point. I think that as an individual, I still have a lot of work to do to work towards a more sustainable lifestyle. One way I plan on working towards being more sustainable is to not buy fast fashion as often even though the price is tempting. A way that I think I am doing well with my own carbon footprint is using thrift stores so that more clothes are not thrown out into landfills. In my field of fashion, I hope to utilize clothing that is more sustainable and to refurbish and reuse old clothing pieces. I still have work to do, but I intend to continue educating myself on the subject and striving towards a more sustainable life.