Sustain-a-what?

Today while at CVS Pharmacy I purchased Organic Wear blush and bronzer. I wasn't planning on purchasing green makeup until absolutely necessary, but I decided to buy it after discovering my prescriptions were suddenly covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield and therefore only five dollars! But this got me to thinking, how is buying this green make-up making my life more sustainable? What is sustainability anyway?

Merriam-webster.com tells me that the definition is "of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged."  This definition, however, doesn't relate directly to my life. Traveling to CVS for supplies doesn't equate to harvesting a resource for me. The resources have already been harvested and I am simply using them. I don't have control over the resources harvested, except through the indirect power of the consumer. So what does sustainability mean specifically in my life? I've thought about it and while I don't have much control over the amount of resources being harvested right now, I do have control over how much of those resources I personally use and how much I "give back" to the planet in the way of recycling and being picky in my product purchases. 

I feel like the majority of the human population is living out of balance in their environment. Most creatures on this planet live balanced existences - if they don't, they soon perish. Nature is the equalizer who calls in the debts owed. I honestly think the theory of natural population control over time has some merit. The laws of nature are harsh and one population can exploit resources for so long before there isn't enough to sustain any population. Already our population is facing distribution and scarcity problems for many. Whenever I think about this, I think about the people of Easter Island. How can that situation not apply to the whole world - an island of resources in space?

The key to a successful population is balance. Give back to the system as much as you take out of it. The residents of Easter Island failed to give back as many trees as they took and they soon ran out of trees. I, personally, do not have the power to guarantee everyone individually will give back to the system as much as they use. I can, however, try and do the same in my life. This is sustainability to me. Giving back as much as I take out. If that means recycling as much as I can and paying a little more for "greener" products, then that is what I will do. I will recycle all of my paper (and there is a LOT of it). I will bug my roommates about turning off lights and unplugging electronics. I will continue to try to balance my lack of funds with my desire to buy local or eco-conscious foods. All of this, not because I actually believe recycling this one can will make that big of a difference in the overall scheme of things (except indirectly, as I discuss in a previous post), but because these acts balance out my equation. I am doing all I personally can, or at least as much as I am currently willing (I am not willing to give up my car quite yet ...). This whole blog is an experiment, really, to see how much more I can give back. Maybe, if I give back enough, it can not only equal out my equation but also someone else's!