As we face increasingly urgent environmental challenges, it is important to recognise the interconnectedness of social and environmental issues and work towards solutions that benefit both people and the planet. 

 

To understand social issues, first, we need to understand intersectionality. Intersectionality is about how different social identities such as race, gender, sexuality, ability, etc intersect and interact with one another to shape a person’s experiences of discrimination and privilege. For example, a person who is both South Asian and queer may face unique forms of discrimination and marginalization that are different from someone who is only South Asian or only queer. Exploring intersectionality goes much deeper than identity and representation, looking at structural and systematic issues of discrimination and inequality. It is about questioning the western patriarchal, heteronormative and neurotypical hierarchy that has led to damaging social structures and seeking solutions to create a more egalitarian society. 

 

Once we are able to understand the unique experiences of each other, we begin to develop more compassion and empathy, allowing us to foster trust. Trust in the community is crucial to environmental sustainability because it is at the core of sharing and circular economies. The sharing economy is a concept that highlights the ability of individuals to rent or borrow goods rather than buy and own them. For example, renting a car for a day when you need it rather than buying one and only using it a few times a year. This means more people in the community can have access to resources while cutting down on unnecessary production and resulting in less waste. The circular economy looks at creating products from ‘waste’ material instead of using raw materials and allowing the product to have a new life at the end of its initial use, also known as zero waste design. If we zoom out into the bigger picture, we start to see how the sharing and circular economy tackles the capitalistic hierarchy that has conditioned individuals to compete against each other into blind and endless consumption.

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Sustainable Futures is an art and design exhibition by emerging South Asian artists and designers which seeks to build awareness of intersectionality and sustainable design practices that are deeply rooted in South Asian culture. Tackling the stereotypes we see in mainstream media and addressing topics considered taboo in much of today's South Asian community. Highlighting authentic stories of our heritage and culture, of our experiences of being queer, of dealing with mental health and other disabilities. Sharing the rich history of sustainable practices that have been ingrained in our daily life for generations long before it was cool to be sustainable.