This idea of sustainability has been strongly contested from the outset with several critics arguing ‘sustainable cities’ as an oxymoron. However with the growing concerns of global warming on fast depleting natural resources has led communities,organizations and individuals to collectively lay more emphasis on implementing sustainable practices.

Over the past years, Santa Monica city has taken several steps in this direction by introducing a string of eco-friendly and sustainable measures ranging from promoting sustainable foods through its Be Hot, Eat Cool pledge, Solar Santa Monica a city-sponsored free program geared towards reducing energy dependency on fossil fuels, encouraging people to buy local and the introduction of the new state-of-the-art green Big Blue Bus maintenance facility to name a few. In fact Santa Monica’s office of sustainability and the environment has listed 10 ways in which you can promote sustainability at home, office and school for it’s residence.

However even with all these efforts, at the heart lies the problem that we still refuse to accept – the problem of consumption. Saul Alinsky, founder of modern community organizing in America puts this dilemma of individual action succinctly when he writes most people are eagerly groping for some medium, some way in which they can bridge the gap between their morals and their practices. He further adds that, “unfortunately planting a tree, buying a bike will not save the World, unless you believe you are making a difference by planting one tree and cutting four.”

So the question that we need to ask ourselves is that are we consuming more than we are contributing?