What is Sustainable Gang(2024)
After a year of activities, here are my updated thoughts.
What is SUS, Sustainable?
SUS=COOL
We see sustainability as something cool.
Many people might think sustainability is only for 'serious' or 'good' people, with choices and actions that don't directly impact them or have results that are hard to see.
However someone who can think about the future and others, and make sustainable choices and actions, is undeniably cool, regardless of what anyone says.
For us, SUS equals cool, and that’s our unwavering core belief.
SUS=PEACE
Sustainability means a continuous process without end, which can be interpreted to mean peace.
I try to think of SUS as "a hopeful future".
Tomorrow, next month, next year, ten years from now, things will be better. Can we envision a future in which we feel that way?
Our lives, work, society, environment, food, culture...
Are these futures full of hope?
Are we moving closer to a world of SUS?
I believe that if each one of us thinks about the future and acts accordingly, the world will surely become a peaceful place.
SUS=OURS
When some people hear the word "sustainable", they might think it's something that only governments and corporations are responsible for.
But for us, SUS represents the peace we seek—a future filled with hope. Peace and a bright future aren't things to leave in the hands of others; they're something we can all build together.
If we make sustainability more accessible and personal, don’t you think it will make the world a more enjoyable and comfortable place to live?
The word "sustainable" can seem difficult and distant.
That’s why we prefer to call it "SUS".
What is Sustainable Gang?
A group that just does sustainable and cool things
We are a group of people who are doing something cool and sustainable based on the idea that "SUS" means "COOL".
The members who gather here come from different backgrounds and have diverse dreams and goals.
Through SUS, we can meet and deepen our bonds with people we might never have crossed paths with if we had spent our lives as normal people.
We believe that creating such encounters is SUS in itself, and we are working on trash pickup as our main activity, as the first step SUS that anyone can take.
Our Thoughts on Gangs
We are neither a volunteer organization nor activists.
We do not do what we do because someone asks us to.
We simply want to enjoy the cool thing called SUS with our friends.
We named ourselves a gang with the feeling that "it doesn't matter if we're not well-behaved or rough around the edges, let's just do what we want to do with the feeling that we want to be violent.
We are a gang that aims for SUS rather than THUG.
OUR GOALS
①Pursuing SUS
The goal of this gang is to pursue SUS.
Being sustainable sometimes requires money, time, and effort.
It's challenging to change every aspect of your life to be SUS.
There are still many parts of my life that aren’t fully SUS.
Sustainability itself evolves with time and social conditions, making it hard to define universally.
I’m not even sure if what I’m aiming for is entirely right yet.
Still, I start with what I can do, and though I sometimes pause and ask, 'What is SUS?', I keep pushing forward in pursuit of it.
I’ll continue to pursue SUS in a way that suits me, and along the way, I’ll inspire and motivate my peers to reach even greater heights.
② ,Third Place
The goal of this gang is to be a place where people can belong.
Many of us move between home, school, or work, and spend our days off cooped up at home.
While I enjoy solitude, solitude without options can be tough.
I suggest participating in activities like trash pickup as a third place—a space like your favorite café, bar, or social circle.
Even if you're not interested in sustainability or garbage pickup, it’s enough to come out to meet the members or take a walk through the city at night, talking about other things.
This gang has already become my place.
I would be happy if this space, which feels like home to me, could also become a place for someone else to make friends, shift their perspective, or take their first step towards reintegration into society.
③Sublimate to Culture
The goal of this gang is to elevate SUS into a culture.
We view SUS through the lens of what's cool and continue to engage in actions we believe embody that coolness.
As like-minded individuals gather and the movement grows, SUS can evolve into a cultural norm—much like how skateboarding transitioned from street activity to Olympic sport.
I envision a city where cool young people are out picking up trash.
Let's collaborate to build the coolest culture, one born from caring for others and striving for a brighter future.
Key Word
LOVE
We value love.
Even though the internet has made it easier to connect with everyone, division, isolation, and conflict seem to be increasing.
We don’t have time to hate each other; instead, we need to focus on loving one another more.
We don’t have to like everyone, but we can choose to accept and love those we don’t like or understand, just as they are.
We would like to love people who litter even.
ANGER
We never forget our anger.
While anger may seem like a negative emotion, the anger we feel comes not from hate, but from love.
It stems from our own helplessness and smallness.
Young people, just like us, are struggling.
People who truly need help are being left behind.
Across the ocean, our fellow human beings are dying because of war and discrimination.
I want to be someone who feels empathy for those who are invisible in my own world and who can be there for them.
No matter how full our lives may be, we don't want to forget our anger at the fact that someone, somewhere, is suffering.
NO RUSH
We are never in a hurry.
Success for us isn’t about making money or becoming famous.
Our success lies in continuing to be sustainable—keeping this group going without end.
SUS isn’t a competition.
We value the journey more than reaching the top of the mountain.
We won’t chase after success that doesn’t align with our growth.
We’ll stay grounded and do what we can, no rush.
We, Sustainable Gang, will operate based on these ideas.
We may update them many times in the future, but they represent the Gang's policy as of 2024.
We will continue to walk in accordance with what we think we are doing now.