Mid Sweden University

It is not only in recent decades that sustainability has gained importance in terms of society’s resilience, as, even300 years ago, the necessity of treating natural resources in a sustainable way was a matter of concern. This paperaims to enhance both knowledge of the history of sustainability as a concept and understandings of the role ofsustainability culture in societal resilience. The study juxtaposes historical challenges and considerations regardingsustainability with today's issues of society’s resilience. The arguments compare the importance of sustaining forestsin the past to the importance of undisturbed electricity supply in the present, both of which represent criticalresources. To this end, the study applies the concept of culture as a theoretical framework. The results provideevidence of the importance of a cultural orientation and action system in the context of sustainability by highlightingsocietal challenges associated with essential resources in both the past and present. The paper contributes insightsinto the main difficulty associated with sustainability, namely that it is a complex concept with myriad influences.The elusive, systemic nature of sustainability means that humanity needs to create a culture of sustainability tocollectively learn from history, integrate sustainability thinking into everyday life and work with creativity andcourage for the future.