The Styrofoam cup that holds your morning coffee may outlast you by a thousand years. Drive your car, no matter how fuel-efficient, and you’re causing pollution. Buy a product made in a developing country with weak environmental laws and you probably are contributing to the degradation of that society’s resources and, ultimately, ours as well.

Almost everything we do has consequences for the environment and the quality of lives we live. The food we grow and eat, the clothes we wear, the places we live and work — they all have an impact.

Today Noozhawk begins a new section, Sustainable Life, giving our readers the latest scientific thinking on the effects of human activities on the earth’s natural systems, and what many Santa Barbarans are doing to maintain and enhance a healthy environment. Concisely defined, sustainability “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Who can argue with that?

Noozhawk features will center on South Coast activities, drawing on the expertise of the Bren Center and UCSB, and Santa Barbara City College, for a theoretical framework. We will also focus on programs of local governments and organizations that are putting theory into practice. There are many people throughout the Santa Barbara area who are helping us survive the unintended consequences of our ever-expanding population and civilization. Noozhawk will profile these local leaders, and we will consistently put forth ideas and practices that our readers may wish to incorporate in their lives.

But we’re not gloom and doom. A sustainable lifestyle emphasizes the positive, often fun and rewarding steps we can all take to ensure we leave this planet in better condition than we found it. Most of us are trying to do our part. With Sustainable Life, Noozhawk will share those stories and highlight those experiences as a way to inspire others, and ourselves.

We think you’ll enjoy this new section, and we welcome your comments.