For a long time, I thought I knew the extent to which I was affecting the Earth. I thought it was simply all about “reduce, reuse, and recycle,” how I should turn off the faucet when I brush my teeth, or how I should look for the ENERGY STAR qualified light bulbs. It wasn’t until I visited the Hyperion Treat­ment Plant, the biggest wastewater treatment facil­ity in the county, when I realized how limited my perspective had been. Upon my visit, I was shocked to see how much waste people, know­ingly or unknowingly, put into the water. The water was brown, with various unrecognizable solids floating around. When I saw the massive nine-step process through which the facility recycles this unidentifiable liquid into clean and pure drinking water, I realized the greater scale of things.

In Los Angeles, it is hard to spend time with the natural world because it is extremely insu­lated from nature, with most things man-made and/or artificial. Even the supposed “nature walks” are through man-made trails between beautifully landscaped bushes and trees. Re­sources like water and heat have become ev­eryday commodities that we don’t think about where they come from. We have become so de­tached from the things nature provides because of the many processes natural products undergo before landing in our faucet or stove. In one form or another, every drop of water or every joule of energy have already been dealt with artificially.

Sustainability means respect and awareness. I believe that more people need to be educated on how each and every one of their actions has an impact, big or small, good or bad, on the Earth. The manners by which we are liv­ing should not benefit us at the expense of the Earth, for Earth is not disposable. The 21st century is a time of increased urbanization and consumption that exemplifies the peak of pollu­tion and exploitation.

At this rate, it will not be a surprise that drinkable water will run out in four or five decades. We have already started to ask the question, is water a right or a privilege? Water is the basic necessity of life itself. I believe that there is a way to prevent a significant loss of this precious resource-sustainability. It is always important to consider that “we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” In essence, sustainability is life.