Man’s Search for Sustainability is a wide-ranging but concise reflection on how sustainability is much more than government policies and electric vehicles. Not long after I read the book, I happened to walk by an outdoor display of different types of bee hives in the area, an exhibit I would have ignored in the past. Instead, I stopped to examine each beehive and what type of bee created it. I considered how those bees interacted with the natural world around them. Lessons I learned from this book by David Augé, even about the minutiae of the dangers of a hive that was too big or too small, made me better understand the natural world around me; I now look at these creatures with a curiosity I never held before.

But a bigger revelation from Man’s Search for Sustainability is the discussion of locusts, which are not the typical antagonists to any story. Frankl’s work Man’s Search for Meaning, which clearly inspires the title and theme of Auge’s book, teaches us to find meaning in all—even the dark—phases of life. For Frankl it was the Nazi concentration camps; for Augé it is the often devastating plagues of locusts. The careful detail with which he describes the life-cycle of grasshoppers and their somewhat mysterious and occasional transition into locust swarms teaches the reader to explore lessons of sustainability even in undesirable circumstances. 

In this bottom-up approach to our consideration of sustainability, Augé guides us through a structured and scientific description of the life-phases, the tasks and roles of bees and locusts, and the long-term impact that they have on each other and the world around them. The author also refines these academic lessons of sustainability with illustrations from his personal life. These personal examples, some that were challenging and some rewarding, teach readers to explore meaning and sustainability in their own environment. 

Now, thanks to this book, as I observe the lives of the small creatures around me, I contemplate how they interact with each other and their environment. I have a stronger appreciation of bees and locusts, their roles, and how I can better understand sustainability. It is tempting to look at hard-working and efficient bees and draw inspiration, but this book encourages us to learn from insects (and circumstances) less suited to our own interests.