Most Bermudians work hard to ensure that their families develop loving, nurturing relationships, achieve financial stability and build quality support systems.

Making the most of life with those we love while providing a stable and secure home, in addition to joining with neighbours to serve the community, are all significant aspects of family life that consume our attention, time and money. These aspects of life are deeply valuable to the wellbeing of current and future residents.

However, these elements of family life are not isolated to our homes and neighbourhoods; they are linked to bigger issues such as cultural strength, financial equality, and unity in our island.

Things that concern us in the home have knock-on effects upon other areas of island life. However, we can ensure the best for our current quality of life as well as our legacy through applying the principles of sustainable development.

The basis of Sustainable Development is making holistic and integrated long-term decisions that require balancing our economic, social and environmental objectives — the three pillars of sustainable development. Evaluations of each element of sustainability and their practical applications have been implemented in Bermuda.

Many Bermudians can relate to these pillars as they align with the previously mentioned family values. For instance, the social aspect of sustainability is based on the belief that Bermuda’s greatest resource is its people.

Social sustainability emphasises the value of our people and the significance of developing nurturing relationships within families. A sustainable practice that enforces this is the suggestion of an accurate depiction of those who need to be accommodated for in the future. The environmental aspect of sustainability focuses on the need to find innovative ways to provide the necessary infrastructure to meet increasing and sometimes conflicting demands while also preserving our natural environment. This aspect was demonstrated through the consultation on Bermuda’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

While maintaining a healthy environment is important, balancing its preservation with economic and social benefits is important as engagement with the environment promotes healthy social interactions and industries like fishing help our local economy. The economic pillar of sustainability emphasises the importance of all Bermudians being prepared for, as well as having the access to, economic opportunities. One example of this is the North Hamilton Economic Empowerment Zone, which is currently under consultation. The aim of this initiative is to ensure Bermudians fulfil their full economic potential.

Ultimately, sustainability recognises the need for integrated and holistic decision-making as social, environmental and economic factors all impact any given decision and in turn every decision has social, environmental and economic impacts.

These three dimensions are interconnected and affect areas that determine our quality of life. For example, let’s look at the connections within Cup Match. Showing younger family members your secrets on how to score a six not only encourages the preservation of a tradition, but also strengthens familial ties. This in turn, increases the sense of belonging that a young person will have to their family and their island home.

This sense can cause positive community involvement and increase public safety. Having the best view of who takes the first wicket with fellow team supporters, enjoying food and drinks with family and friends while sinking your feet into pink sand, or even rebuilding the family fort while camping out in one of our lush parks, not only builds stronger bonds of support within the community, but also encourages people to value our natural environment. The upkeep of our environment is a key aspect in continuing our various Cup Match traditions. Our picturesque “back yards” are the backgrounds upon which the scenes of our lives are painted, yet they also have links to bigger concerns such as the clean air that we breathe and the ocean that surrounds us that is impacted by climate change.

Cup Match is also a great time for Bermuda’s economy to thrive. The money that is spent on buying the perfect outfit, that new cooler or barbecue and the food that your family and friends will enjoy strengthens the economical aspect of sustainability. Cup Match is also enjoyed by guest workers and tourists that greatly contribute to our economy. International business and hospitality are key components of our current economy and altogether have a big impact upon the status we have on the world scale.

Overall, many aspects of the Bermudian quality of life that many enjoy and work hard to provide are interconnected. Although these aspects may have, at first, seemed separate, it is hopefully apparent that we are all threads that are weaved into the tapestry of society. Our immediate relationships are influential and have knock-on effects on other areas.

Our diversity contributes to the texture and stories that this tapestry tells, and it is our future decisions that will determine how the story unfolds. Just as all family members play a vital role in their progress towards their best quality of life, Bermudians can also richly contribute to our island home by first understating the concept of sustainability and how it impacts every area of our lives.

• Cara S Philip is a summer student with the Sustainable Development Department (SDD) within the Cabinet Office. She is entering her fourth and final year at Oral Roberts University, majoring in global environmental sustainability with a minor in English literature. More information on this and other sustainable development initiatives can be found in the SD Annual Report 2013. You can also visit www.sdbermuda.bm or like the Sustainable Development Department’s Facebook page, “Sustain Bermuda”. You can even request more info by emailing the department at sdd@gov.bm.