I’m starting to replace “sustainability” with “not hurting people,” sometimes adding “and wildlife.” I’m not doing it across the board, but increasingly. I’m seeing how people respond. Likewise, instead of describing an activity as “polluting,” to describe it as “hurting innocent people.”

For example:

Instead of “I’m trying to live more sustainably”: “I’m trying to hurt innocent people less.”

Instead of “I value the environment”: “I value not hurting people.”

Instead of “Flying is for most people who fly their most polluting activity”: “Flying is for most people who fly how they hurt innocent people most.”

Terms like “environment” and “sustainability” can be abstract. I’m not trying to protect or conserve something abstract in trying to live more sustainably.

I’m trying to avoid hurting people, and wildlife to a lesser extent.

The problem with “pollution” is not that it damages something abstract.

Pollution hurts people.

Pollution hurts wildlife.

Pollution destroys life, liberty, and property, which our government was instituted to protect, not to permit the destruction of.

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