The Ethics of Sustainability

Abstract

Sustainability ethics is a relevant topic as we humans become more focused on the implications of “going green.” We all need to think about what sustainability means and the extent to which we need to change our individual behaviors so that its goals can be met. This editorial will explore the idea of how our ego plays a role in defining sustainable behavior and ways in which a breadth of ethical constructs can guide our thinking on what is right and what is wrong. All of us cannot give up meat or avoid flying, but all of us can engage in healthy dialogue to determine how we all can subscribe to the principles of sustainability in ethical ways, as governed by our understandings and feelings. Ultimately, we recognize ethical behavior as an ecosystem of social, environmental, and intellectual parameters which affect not only humans, but also the non-humans around us.