Sustainable Development.

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The definition of culture includes such things as values, beliefs and morality.  However, we know that different groups, even within the same society as well as those from different societies have different cultures and see resources in different ways.  Whose values, beliefs and mortality should decide what use we make of resources.

Sustainable Development

The society and culture we live in often influences or dictates the way in which we perceive what a resource is and the method or rate of use.  Immense disparities exist between affluent western societies that consume a vast amount of resources and more conservative societies like many native tribes, which believe in resource exploitation just to meet needs and where wastage is taboo.  While the level of “development” as perceived by western society is directly proportionate to the consumption of resources per capita, if everyone in the world were to consume resources as Americans do, exhaustion would rapidly occur.  Provision for future generations must be made, and our use of resources ought to reflect this, while maintaining a reasonable standard of living.

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In some societies, resources we often take for granted are considered incalculable.  For example, the use of water to wash hands in certain parts of the world is highly frowned upon as it is seen as wastage.  In other cultures even though resources are available, their beliefs prevent overexploitation of a resource and forbid wastage of any kind.  An example would be the Yanomamis in the Amazon Rainforest who would not even waste human bones; they are burned and eaten with bananas.  While such a society would undoubtedly provision for future generations, its imposition on western cultures would be ...

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