Sustainability, ecology and environmental protection: synonyms or completely different terms?

In a world where concern for community wellbeing and sustainability are in vogue, terms are often used that can lead to confusion due to their apparent similarity. This is the case with these four terms: Sustainability, Ecology and Environmentalism. Let's look at how they differ.

Sustainability

In a general approach, we could define sustainability and sustainable processes as those that allow us to meet the needs of today's society without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their future needs as well. This inevitably leads us to considerations:

• Social sustainability - Satisfying social needs requires ensuring a welfare state, i.e. basic coverage of people's basic needs, such as combating discrimination, reconciling work and family life, the availability of decent wages and a good quality of life. To achieve this, measures must be taken to promote the development of society as a whole.
• Economic sustainability - To meet economic needs, business profitability must be ensured through responsible organizational practices. So what measures should we take to achieve economic sustainability? Possible options include projects to increase energy efficiency, the introduction of a circular economy or even new trends such as the introduction of micro-agriculture to supply hospitality and other services.
• Ecological sustainability - When we talk about the development of our environment, we are talking about managing and using natural resources in such a way that they can regenerate in the long term and do not diminish. This means that we must implement measures and policies that ensure the preservation of ecosystems, biodiversity and ecological balance. In this way, future generations can also enjoy a healthy environment and have sufficient resources for their needs.

So to use the word sustainability correctly, we need to strike a balance between the three ESG areas: Environment, Socio-Cultural Environment and Governance and Economy.

Ecology: the science of organisms and their environment

Did you know that the terms "economy" and "ecology" have a lot in common? In fact, the two terms are closely linked and it is impossible to define ecology without taking the economy into account.

It all began in 1866, when the well-known German biologist Ernst Haeckel used the term "ecology" for the first time in his book "General Morphology of Organisms". His definition reveals an aspect that is often forgotten when analyzing the etymology of the term "ecology": Haeckel understood the prefix "eco-" (from the Greek "oîkos" οἶκος, meaning "house") to mean "economy of nature" and not "environment", contrary to what is commonly explained.

To understand the origin of the word "ecology", we must first analyze the term "economy". In Greek, "oikonomia" meant "household management". It was not until the 17th century that the term was defined more broadly to refer to the "management of a community's resources".

Environmental protection: the movement that protects the environment.

Ecologism and ecology are related but different concepts that are often confused. Ecology is a scientific discipline that deals with the interactions between organisms and their environment. It focuses on understanding how living organisms, including humans, coexist in ecosystems and influence each other. Ecologists study processes such as food chains, nutrient cycling and population dynamics to uncover the mechanisms that sustain life on earth.

On the other hand, environmentalism is a social and political movement that works to protect the environment from harmful human activities. Ecologists advocate measures and practices that promote sustainability and the conservation of natural resources.

While ecology provides the scientific knowledge needed to understand environmental problems, environmentalism uses this information to drive change and promote environmentally friendly development. In essence, ecology teaches us about the natural world, while environmentalism strives to preserve and improve that world for future generations.

Did you know the real meaning of these words?

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