Abstract
One type of sustainability, sustainability under safe and economically sound conditions, is metaphorically called surfing sustainability due to the fact that it focuses on technical initiatives associated with the young, cool, and active members of society. This is the sustainability of the west that is largely embraced by the wealthy, educated, and elite. It includes things like electric cars, organic food, and recycling. It does not include things like access to clean drinking water, lack of war, and hunger. This type of western sustainability tries, usually unsuccessfully, to limit the massive impact of western overconsumption on the rest of the world. However, western sustainability efforts have resulted in important contributions to technological innovation in sustainability. Four main examples of this type of sustainability are presented: food, plastic microbeads, golf courses, and electric cars. In addition, political movements associated with the Green Party and the Green New Deal are discussed.
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Brinkmann, R. (2020). Surfing Sustainability: Understanding Sustainability in Safety. In: Environmental Sustainability in a Time of Change. Palgrave Studies in Environmental Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28203-5_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28203-5_7
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