While many on the American right attempt to demagogue the idea of “sustainability” when it comes to the environment, it behooves us to examine its benefits and analyze how it may even be something conservatives could support.

Sustainability is a buzzword often misused by the environmentalist hardcore left, and thus arises one reason why conservatives shy away.

To return the word to its original meaning is to revive the concept, defined by Websters Dictionary as “of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.”

Why let the definition stop there? I would further define it as “living in such harmony that you give to the next generation a better world than you enjoyed.”

]Why would a right-winger disapprove of this idea? It is wholly positive. Conservatives disagree with the notion of the state forcing people to live a certain way, and rightly so.

When government forces relative morality there is pushback and natural resistance.

However, when private citizens willingly choose to live in a certain environmentally conscious manner, it is their right to do so and to be free from the intrusion of their neighbors or their government. Sustainability also provides tremendous savings to businesses.

For a local example, look to the recent renovations in Centennial Towers on the DU campus. Motion-sensing lights were installed to conserve energy, and thus money.

The lights were modified at a one-time cost to the university and will serve for generations of Pioneers to come. This change not only cuts costs, but also measurably reduces environmental impact by lowering emissions and energy use in this building overall.  

It turns out that since the 1960s, the lights in Towers had not been turned off; they were not meant to be.  

This was an egregious waste and showed an inefficiency.  The change is good all around.

The Earth breathes easier and the bills are reduced to the school.

So why would a conservative not support this sort of sustainability?

The notion of environmental stewardship is nothing new, but is often diluted by long-haired hippies and tree-huggers.

There’s certainly nothing shameful or even remotely political about caring for the environment. It’s the one common “good” we all share; we all benefit from a clean environment and suffer from a poorly kept one.

Commonsense environmental stewardship is simply the morally correct and noble course to undertake.

People ought to willingly undertake green measures instead of the heavy hand of the state forcing them to do so.

I could not imagine a life that was not heavily engaged in the outdoors of a clean air, wide open vistas and mountains that Colorado offers.

They become an integral and inherent part of a person.  Our environment is worth protecting, and undertaking commonsense measures saves money, increases efficiency and will preserve this treasure for our children.  

There is absolutely no reason American conservatives should not embrace personal, individual sustainability measures undertaken willingly, understanding the definition of living in harmony with the planet.