Speaking the Language of Sustainability

When I first began studying sustainability, I thought mostly about science: research, carbon footprints, renewable energy, conservation, environmental policy, etc. But after briefly living in Barcelona, Spain, and Bocas del Toro, Panama, sustainability to me became something more human: the ways we communicate and the cultures we come from. I write this blog post as someone who is still learning, a traveler in these places who was welcomed in but never fully part of them. This post is meant for sharing my observations and for starting conversations, not for claiming expertise.

Barcelona, Spain

Bocas del Toro, Panama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At its root, sustainability is about relationships—relationships between people and the planet, and relationships among people themselves. Language and culture are how those relationships are built and how they can be maintained. Research increasingly supports this connection between culture, language, and ecology. A BioScience study emphasizes that Indigenous and local ecological knowledge represents one of the oldest scientific traditions on Earth. Collaborations between scientists and Indigenous communities have advanced biodiversity recovery, habitat restoration, and even language conservation. These partnerships show that sustainability depends on respecting and integrating diverse ways of living, not just translating them into Western frameworks (Wilder et al., 2016).

Language and Cultural Knowledge Shape How We See the World

The way a society talks about nature, whether as a resource to be used or as a community to belong to, shapes the habits people form and the policies it creates. In Barcelona, I was surrounded by a unique linguistic environment where Catalan and Spanish coexisted, each carrying its own history and identity. Small differences in language reflected different approaches to community. Catalan values emphasizing shared responsibility and collective identity were clear through the city’s sustainable urban projects, like creating outdoor community spaces, bike-friendly streets, or local food vendors. Scholars describe this interconnection as biocultural diversity, the idea that cultural and biological diversity are intertwined and mutually reinforcing (Maffi, 2005). Recognizing this helps ensure that sustainability initiatives respect the cultural contexts that sustain these ecological systems.

My experience in Bocas del Toro, a small island community off the Caribbean coast of Panama, deepened my understanding of this connection. Living and studying alongside various local Indigenous communities, like Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca, cultural traditions were demonstrated to be closely linked to the surrounding nature. In Bocas, sustainability isn’t just a word people are taught, it’s a way of life. According to a 2024 article, Indigenous and local knowledge systems often include detailed ecological data built from centuries of observation and adaptation, knowledge that complements and sometimes surpasses scientific datasets in understanding local ecosystems (Akalibey et al., 2024). An example of this generational knowledge of the environment that I witnessed while in Panama was many fishing techniques that are not just about catching fish but about preserving resources and respecting seasons. Another application of the interconnectedness between Indigenous knowledge and sustainability within the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca is through a project with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Through the project, based on 14 years of lessons from the Agua Salud Project, Indigenous participants are paid to plant and manage native trees while maintaining full ownership of their land and the forests they restore. (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, 2022). Scientists spent over a year meeting with local Congress leaders to design the project. The goal was to ensure that project ownership by Indigenous people remains central to the success of their tree planting mission.

When languages disappear, so too does the knowledge about plants, animals, and ecology that cannot be easily translated into Western scientific frameworks. This connection between language and environment is also visible in Spain, where the Spanish language carries cultural and agricultural traditions that continue to shape local attitudes toward sustainability. In Barcelona and across Spain, the cultural perspective is evident in efforts to promote sustainable food systems, urban gardens, and neighborhood cleanups that value community and stewardship. Globally, the loss of linguistic diversity has serious ecological implications. UNESCO estimates that one Indigenous language dies every two weeks, often taking with it generations of environmental knowledge. Their research shows that areas where linguistic diversity is decreasing also face higher rates of biodiversity loss (UNESCO, 2024). Sustainability, therefore, must ensure that environmental initiatives remain inclusive, adaptive, and rooted in their respective languages and worldviews. Speaking of communication in science, in Spain, research on air pollution in Barcelona has shown how language directly affects community engagement with environmental science. A 2022 study in Barcelona demonstrated how community engagement in environmental research can deepen when communication bridges the gap between scientists and citizens. Researchers from the Environmental Health Institute collaborated with almost 500 residents to co-design a study on how air pollution and access to green spaces affect mental health (Gignac et al., 2022). Civic engagement experts played a crucial role by translating complex scientific ideas into clear, accessible language, helping citizens formulate their own research questions and actively participate in data collection. This shows how language accessibility can strengthen public understanding.

Communication Is Conservation

I feel immense gratitude for having the opportunity to study Spanish since kindergarten, where I attended a K–8th Spanish immersion school. Having this foundation throughout my childhood gave me the ability to connect deeply with others through language, something I am very proud of. When I lived abroad, that foundation blossomed. In Spain and Panama, I felt a strong sense of connection because I could communicate, listen, and build relationships in one of the main languages spoken in those countries. Through conversations with local residents, community leaders, and researchers, the intersection between environmental science and sustainability with dialogues between culture and identity can be better understood. The more I learn, the more I recognize that sustainability isn’t something to preach to other communities. It’s something to listen for, to learn from, and to support in ways that respect local voices and autonomy.

Works Cited

Akalibey, S., Hlaváčková, P., Schneider, J., Fialová, J., Darkwah, S., & Ahenkan, A. (2024). Integrating indigenous knowledge and culture in sustainable forest management via global environmental policies. Journal of Forest Science, 70 (6), 265-280.

Gignac, F., Righi, V., Toran, R., Errandonea, L. P., Ortiz, R., Nieuwenhuijsen, M., Creus, J., Basagaña, X., & Balestrini, M. (2022). Co-creating a local environmental epidemiology study: the case of citizen science for investigating air pollution and related health risks in Barcelona, Spain. Environmental Health, 21, Article 129.

Maffi, L. (2005). Linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity. Annual Review of Anthropology, 34(1), 599–617.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. (2022, October 10). Indigenous reforestation: Seeking win-win solutions to combat climate change and improve livelihoods in Panama’s Indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca.

UNESCO. (2024, March 5). Multilingual education, the best to preserve indigenous languages and justice.

Wilder, B. T., O’Meara, C., Monti, L., & Nabhan, G. P. (2016). The importance of Indigenous knowledge in curbing the loss of language and biodiversity. BioScience.