My Patience is Not Sustainable

A small request: can we retire the word sustainability?

This morning I listened to a woman give a speech which, I swear, was constructed solely around the idea that she would use the words "sustainability" and "intergenerational" as many times as possible. At one point she actually said that New York City schoolchildren are "not sustainable." Huh? In what sense? And once she said "intergenerational" as a sentence all by itself. She just threw it out to the crowd and let it hover for a moment, sink or swim. It sank.

But really, sustainability. I know, I know – this is its big moment in the sun, with environmentalism being so damn trendy, but people are going nuts now and just using it as filler when they want to sound fancy-pants and don't quite have a handle on what they mean. So do me a favor -- next time you're on the verge of using the word sustainability, stop and figure out what you're really trying to say, and then say that instead. You can live without the s-word, I promise.

Much appreciated!