MULT1035 Sustainability in Helping Professionals

Introduction

As stated by Scott (2018), sustainability refers to the ability of the business corporations to maintain the desired level of growth or development without causing the over-utilization or the depletion of the resources. Kamenidou et al. (2019) are of the viewpoint that in the recent years the concept of personal sustainability had also gained a substantial amount of prominence since it is directly related to the aspects of personal health, wellbeing and the other aspects of the lives of the individuals. More importantly, the aspect of personal sustainability while helping the individuals to attain the desired level of wellbeing, personal health and others also helps them to maintain the same as well. However, there are various challenges that the individuals experience related to the maintenance of the desired level of personal sustainability like the consumption of junk food, emotional stress, work stress and others (Pfeiffer, Speck and Strassner 2017). Similarly, there are various challenges related to the achievement of sustainability within the community context as well like inadequate resources, unequal distribution of wealth and others (Simon 2020). The different challenges related to personal sustainability and sustainability within the community context hinder the achievement of sustainability at the individual level and also at the community level and are greatly linked to each other. The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the key challenges related to personal sustainability and sustainability in the community context and also to propose evidence-based solutions for the resolution of the same.  

Contemporary Personal Sustainability Challenge

Oostindjer et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that one of the most important challenges or issues related to personal sustainability that the different individuals frequently experience is related to the aspect of achieving the desired health standard which in turn is adversely affecting the wellbeing of the individuals. Supporting this, Chen (2016) has observed that an important reason for this particular issue or challenge experienced by the individuals can be attributed to the extensive consumption of junk food which although rich in taste have negative health connotations. In fact, people in Australia consume three times more fast food or junk food than the recommended level and for more than 32% of the Australian population, junk food forms the main form of food that they intake (Boylan et al. 2017). This large-scale or extensive consumption of junk food or fast food by the Australians had substantially increased the number of health issues experienced by them and is an important reason for the deteriorating health condition of the Australian people. Moreover, the important problem arises since the majority of the Australians are completely aware of the negative health connotations of junk food consumption but still they consume the same because of the different features of the junk food like taste, cost effectiveness, timelines, not having to cook them and others (Hadjikakou 2017). Thus, this had emerged as one of the most important challenges adversely affecting the personal sustainability of the people in Australia.  

First Evidence-Based Response To Personal Sustainability Challenge

The above mentioned challenge can be easily resolved through the reduction in the consumption of junk food. For instance, within the nation of Australia, it had been observed that numerous organic food restaurants have been established in the recent years. The unique selling proposition of these restaurants is that they not only take into consideration the taste requirements of their customers but also their health requirements as well (Scalvedi and Saba 2018). More importantly, just like the junk food, the organic food provided by these restaurants are rich in taste, cost effective, timely, the customers do not have to cook and others (Azzurra, Massimiliano and Angela 2019). The conglomeration of these aspects make the food offered by these restaurants an ideal substitute for the junk food or the fast food which the majority of the people within the nation of Australia like to consume and which is the root cause of the ever-increasing number of health issues experienced by the different Australians in the recent years. This by positively affecting the health of the condition is also likely to substantially improve the level of their wellbeing or wellness as well.

Second Evidence-Based Response To Personal Sustainability Challenge

The second measure that the individuals within the nation of Australia have the opportunity to use for the resolution of the challenge related to personal sustainability is cooking food at home. It is true that the lives led by the individuals in the present times have become very hectic and busy in nature because of which they are being forced to consume fast food or junk food yet the usage of this particular measure is likely to positively affect their health and thereby their wellbeing. The individuals by cooking their own food will be able to ensure that the food prepared by them is rich in both taste and health attributes and thereby does not adversely affect their health condition in the manner in which the consumption of junk food (Rizzo et al. 2020). More importantly, cooking actually takes a relatively lesser amount of time than the people think it takes and the individuals also have the opportunity to inculcate cooking as a hobby which will enable them to pass their leisure time in an effective manner. Furthermore, the different members in a family can take turns to cook as per their busy schedule and this will ensure that the routine or the schedule of the individuals does not get adversely affected.  

Contemporary Community Sustainability Challenge

As discussed by Moriarty (2018), the inadequate resources be it financial resources, infrastructural resources and others that the different communities possess adversely affects their ability to attain sustainability or long-term growth and this had emerged as one of the most important sustainability challenges that the different communities are presently experiencing. Supporting this, Gilchrist and Taylor (2016) have observed that the inadequate resources which the different communities possess have given rise to the situation wherein the people are not being able to fulfill their basic needs or requirements and this had adversely affected the quality of life that they lead. Thus, the resolution of this particular challenge or issue becomes especially important for the different communities since it directly influences their ability to attain sustainability as well as long-term growth.

First Evidence Base Response To Community Challenge

The issue under discussion here can be effectively resolved by advocating for the same and thereby getting the required support from each of the members of the society. The different members of any community have the opportunity to pitch in or for that matter to offer the required support through which the community can acquire the necessary resources which will enable it to attain adequate growth or development (Rus and Pop 2018). For instance, in order to resolve the financial crisis experienced by a community, the wealthy members of the community have the opportunity to contribute their surplus to the individuals who are in need of financial aid. This while helping in the resolution of the financial issues experienced by the members of the community would also enhances the feeling of fraternity among its members and thereby contribute towards the sustainability or the long-term growth of the community.

Second Evidence Base Response To Community Challenge

The different members of the community for the resolution of the challenge under discussion here have the opportunity to seek the help of the policy makers, social service providers, relevant authorities and others. For instance, the work done by these entities are intended to not only help the individuals to resolve the issues or the challenges experienced by them but also to facilitate the development of their community (Gilchrist and Taylor 2016). More importantly, by influencing the policy makers, authorities and others, the different communities have the ability to positively contribute towards the formulation as well as the implementation of the kind of policies, regulations, mandates and others which will help their community to achieve sustainability while effectively resolving the different challenges or the issues experienced by them.  

Conclusion

To sum up, the concept of sustainability had attained a high degree of prominence in the present times not only from the perspective of the different communities but also from the perspective of the different individuals as well. For instance, by focusing on the aspect of sustainability, the different communities have the opportunity to resolve the different issues experienced by them and also to attain long-term growth as well. On the other hand, by taking into consideration the aspect of sustainability, the individuals have the opportunity to improve their health and also the level of their wellbeing as well. However, there are various challenges or issues related to the attainment of sustainability that not only the individuals but also the communities experience. Thus, it becomes important for them to resolve these challenges or problems so as to attain sustainability.

Final Comment

The concept of sustainability despite the importance that it holds for the different communities and also for various individuals is often being overlooked. This had given rise to the situation wherein it is seen that the communities are finding it very hard to attain the desired level of growth or development. Similarly, the different individuals as well are presently struggling to maintain the desired level of health and wellness on account of the disregard of the concept of personal sustainability. In the particular context of community sustainability, it is seen that lack of resources, inadequate funding and others are some of the most important challenges that they experience for attaining sustainability. On the other hand, in the context of individuals, it is seen that consumption of junk food or fast food, disregard of the aspect of wellness and others are some of the most important challenges related to the attainment of personal sustainability. Hence, the communities and also the individuals need to use adequate evidence-based measures for solving these problems in order to attain sustainability.

References

Azzurra, A., Massimiliano, A. and Angela, M., 2019. Measuring sustainable food consumption: A case study on organic food. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 17, pp.95-107.

Boylan, S., Hardy, L.L., Drayton, B.A., Grunseit, A. and Mihrshahi, S., 2017. Assessing junk food consumption among Australian children: trends and associated characteristics from a cross-sectional study. BMC public health, 17(1), pp.1-9.

Chen, W.T., 2016. From “junk food” to “treats” how poverty shapes family food practices. Food, Culture & Society, 19(1), pp.151-170.

Gilchrist, A. and Taylor, M., 2016. The Short Guide to Community Development 2e. Policy Press.

Hadjikakou, M., 2017. Trimming the excess: environmental impacts of discretionary food consumption in Australia. Ecological Economics, 131, pp.119-128.

Kamenidou, I.C., Mamalis, S.A., Pavlidis, S. and Bara, E.Z.G., 2019. Segmenting the generation Z cohort university students based on sustainable food consumption behavior: A preliminary study. Sustainability, 11(3), p.837.

Moriarty, B.M., 2018. Industrial location and community development. UNC Press Books.

Oostindjer, M., Aschemann-Witzel, J., Wang, Q., Skuland, S.E., Egelandsdal, B., Amdam, G.V., Schjøll, A., Pachucki, M.C., Rozin, P., Stein, J. and Lengard Almli, V., 2017. Are school meals a viable and sustainable tool to improve the healthiness and sustainability of children´ s diet and food consumption? A cross-national comparative perspective. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 57(18), pp.3942-3958.

Pfeiffer, C., Speck, M. and Strassner, C., 2017. What leads to lunch—How social practices impact (non-) sustainable food consumption/eating habits. Sustainability, 9(8), p.1437.

Rizzo, G., Borrello, M., Dara Guccione, G., Schifani, G. and Cembalo, L., 2020. Organic food consumption: The relevance of the health attribute. Sustainability, 12(2), p.595.

Rus, G. and Pop, A., 2018. Causes That Led To An Inadequate Implementation Rate Of The Urban Development Projects In The North-Western Region Of Romania Between 2007–2013 And The Objectives Set For 2014–2020. Anuarul Institutului de Cercetari Economice" Gheorghe Zane"-Iasi, 27(1), p.98.

Scalvedi, M.L. and Saba, A., 2018. Exploring local and organic food consumption in a holistic sustainability view. British food journal.

Scott, C., 2018. Sustainably sourced junk food? Big food and the challenge of sustainable diets. Global Environmental Politics, 18(2), pp.93-113.

Simon, T.P. ed., 2020. Assessing the sustainability and biological integrity of water resources using fish communities. CRC Press.

Our team consists of PhD stalwarts who leave no stones unturned to deliver you perfect assignment writing services. The ghostwriters follow your university guidelines to ensure you get top-notch quality work irrespective of the topic. Our team has gone through rigorous training to meet your expectations with the utmost precision. We are familiar with all types of academic documents such as essays, academic posters, book reports, dissertations, homework, coursework and more. Whether you opt for our online exam help or assignment help, we provide individualised attention to your concern in each case.