What even is Sustainability?

And why it’s not just about saving the planet, but about restoring our relationship with the world around us.

Not long ago, sustainability mostly meant being “eco-friendly.” Recycling your waste. Turning off the lights. Using a tote bag. But the world has changed and the word “sustainability” now carries more weight and more possibility.

It’s no longer just about doing less harm. It’s about living with the world, not against it. About finding a rhythm that supports both life and lifestyle.

Sustainability means asking:

• What kind of energy powers our lives?

• Can we use natural resources without draining them?

• Can small rituals become real change?

• Can we return to a way of living that’s smart, creative, and connected - like many cultures did long before the word “sustainability” existed?

  
  

Let’s start there - with the elements that are already around us. Not just as clean energy sources, but as forces that shaped how we lived, built, moved, and believed.

WIND. SUN. WATER. EARTH. FIRE

Sustainability isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing something with rhythm, intention, and joy.

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This article explores the five elements - Wind, Sun, Water, Earth, and Fire as both clean energy sources and life companions:

• Ancient practices that honored nature

• Realistic lifestyle swaps (backed by data)

• Direct, financial & community actions you can start today.

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Five Elements of Everyday Sustainability

These five elements are ancient and modern. They create electricity in today’s world and they’ve shaped rituals, homes, cultures for thousands of years.

🌬️WIND

✨ The Power We Use

Wind turbines generate electricity by harnessing the movement of air. It's one of the cleanest, fastest-growing renewable sources. They generate over 8.1% of global electricity as of 2024 - and growing.

🌀 The Wisdom We Knew

• Badgirs (Windcatchers): Ancient Persian homes used windcatchers to naturally cool down buildings.

• Sailing ships: Used wind for transport, trade, and migration.

• Breath practices: From Pranayama to Qigong, symbolizes wind as life energy.

⚙️ The Way We Can Live

Direct Action	Financial Action	Collective Action
Set your AC to 24–26°C reduces energy use by up to 40%.	Support wind energy projects via South Pole or Gold Standard.	Sign petition for wind-powered streetlights or school lighting.
5 minutes of conscious breathing daily, lowers stress by 22%.		Share breathwork rituals, create or be a part of meditation circles.

What moves us most is often invisible, just like wind, like thought , like change

☀️ SUN

✨ The Power We Use

Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity. Once installed, they produce clean, silent, and free power. It now generates over 1,500 TWh/year, enough for 140 million+ homes.

🔅 The Wisdom We Knew

• Sun temples: Built in Egypt, India, and South America.

• Sundials and solar calendars:  Used to track time and seasons by people, using the positions of the sun.

• Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) and Solstice Gatherings at Stonehenge honor and celebrate the sun cycles.

  
  

⚙️ The Way We Can Live

Direct Actions	Financial Action	Collective Action
Use solar lamps or torches during power cuts instead of inverters.	Donate to SELCO Foundation or Barefoot College.	Run a rooftop solar interest drive in your society
Soak in 10 minutes of morning sunlight — improves sleep cycles for 70% of people.	Explore solar subsidies via IRENA or other reginal subsidies.	Invest in Solar panels because it often pay for themselves in 5–7 years and lasts 25 years.

The light we live by is constant even when we turn away from it.

🌊 WATER

✨ The Power We Use

Hydropower harnesses the motion of water to generate electricity. Clean, reliable, and widely used making up 16% of global electricity the largest renewable source of energy.

💧The Wisdom We Knew

• Ingenious water storage and flow systems: Like Stepwells of India and Aqueducts of Rome,  African rainmaking rituals or Scandinavian sauna.

• Rituals of cleansing: Rivers like the Ganga, or practices like ritual baths and foot washing, all show how water has been a tool for emotional and spiritual renewal.

• Japanese water gardens: Designed for serenity and contemplation.

  
  

⚙️ The Way We Can Live

Direct Actions	Financial Action	Collective Action
Install tap aerators or low-flow showerheads, helps cut use by 30–50%.	Support Charity Water or WaterAid	Propose shared rain barrels or greywater reuse systems in your area.
Collect and reuse RO reject water for gardening/mopping — saves up to 80L/day.		Join local lake or rainwater harvesting efforts.

Change doesn’t have to be loud just consistent, like water.

🌐 EARTH

✨ The Power We Use

Geothermal energy taps into Earth’s inner heat to warm homes or generate power — stable and renewable.

🌏 The Wisdom We Knew

• Mud and adobe homes in Africa: Used the land’s natural temperature to stay cool or warm.

• Cave temples and stone circles: Architecture uilt to honor stillness, protection, and ancient connection.

• Grounding rituals: Touching bare earth calms the nervous system and improves sleep.\

  
  

⚙️ The Way We Can Live

Direct Actions	Financial Action	Collective Action
Composting kitchen waste - diverts 150kg/year from landfills.	Support Kiss the ground or Timbaktu Collective	Grow a kitchen garden or build a community garden.
Walking barefoot reduces stress by 21%, improves mood and circadian rhythms.	Buy from fruit, earthen pots from local farmers and artists.	Organize or attend a local seed swap.

Getting in touch with your roots doesn’t hold you back. It shows you how to move while staying grounded.

🔥 FIRE

✨ The Power We Use

Biomass (like crop waste or wood pellets) and thermal systems convert heat into electricity. Still vital in rural energy economies. Supports 2.4 billion people

🔥 The Wisdom We Knew

• Cooking Fire: The original stove, center of the home in most cultures.

• Rituals: From Hanukkah candles to Olympic torch.

• Festival: From Diwali in India to Beltane in Europe, fire marks beginnings and endings celebrates change, protection, and transition.

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⚙️ The Way We Can Live

Direct Actions	Financial Actions	Collective Actions
Use a pressure cooker saves 50–75% cooking energy.	Support Clean Cooking Alliance or Reap Benefit.	Celebrate festivals mindfully. Firecrackers can spike pollution by up to 500% overnight.
Turn dry organic waste into biochar which cuts methane and nourishes soil.		Host a candle dinner night or bonfire circle to reflect and reset your week.

Fire doesn’t just destroy. It transforms. Sometimes that’s the only way forward.

FAQ : The Questions We All Ask

Why is sustainability more than just being eco-friendly?

Eco-friendly often stops at the product: is it biodegradable? Is it plastic-free? But sustainability goes deeper. It asks how we live, build, move, celebrate, and relate to nature over time.

It’s not just about doing less harm, it’s about learning to live with the world. It’s a rhythm, not a rulebook. Many cultures practiced it long before the term even existed. We’re just remembering how to do it again, in modern ways.

Is renewable energy hard to switch to?

Not really. Rooftop solar is becoming more affordable and they pay off in 7-10 years and lasts 25 years. Many organizations can help set it up.

What if I can’t stick to the journey and mess up?

Then welcome to the club. Sustainability is not a contest. Perfect attendance is not a requirement. It's a journey. Awareness > Perfection.

What are the easiest ways to live more sustainably?

Start small. Set your AC to 24–26°C, reuse RO water, soak in morning sun, or walk barefoot. Tiny, consistent shifts matter more than perfection.

Is sustainability expensive?

Not really, wasting is expensive. Many actions like using fans over AC, composting, or growing herbs actually save money. Financial swaps can be gradual.

What if others around me aren’t on board?

Be the influence. People join in when they see it works. So start small, share what you do, and keep it fun, not judgmental.

What if I live in a city — can I still make a difference?

Yes. Cities have the most visible impact like using public transport, joining local clean-up drives, or even switching to energy-efficient appliances makes a huge difference.

You don’t need to be perfect.

You just need to start with awareness, with attention, and with care.

In a world that’s always speeding up, maybe the real act of rebellion is to live gently.

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Stats and impact data referenced from sources including WHO, IEA, WaterAid, MNRE – Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and peer-reviewed sustainability studies.