Online research conducted by Sustrainegrenity in the New York Metropolitan Area (via a Google Forms survey of 50 respondents) revealed that 98% of participants were aware of global warming, and 97% were familiar with the concept of sustainability. Among them, 65% expressed interest in learning more about sustainability and how they could contribute to positive change, while 30% were not interested, and the remaining respondents were unsure.

The key topics that interested participants included:

1. Reducing, recycling, and upcycling waste

2. Choosing products and managing waste to ensure continued sustainability

3. Promoting sustainability at the community level

4. Reducing individual carbon footprints

5. Hemp farming

An unexpected yet insightful request was for more information on the effects and consequences of “bad sustainability” — and on how to recognize and mitigate it. This finding struck me as particularly interesting, because discussions about sustainability typically focus on its benefits, with little attention paid to the negative or misguided practices that may emerge under its banner, potentially causing more harm than good.

This raises an important question: “Is there such a thing as bad sustainability?”
And if so, who defines it — and what are its characteristics?