What is Sustainability?

In its the general sense, sustainability means a way of living for individuals, communities, and the whole human population, that doesn't deplete or damage earth and its resources. My particular view of sustainability really comes from my background.
To be blunt, I come from a wealthy family. For most of my life, I had no idea how wasteful and unnecessary much of my lifestyle was. I took long showers, bought a lot of new things when I could have used what I had, drove my own car everywhere, etc. simply because I didn't know that I shouldn't. I took an environmental science class my junior year of high school and became an "earth-lover" right before the gas prices began to rise so quickly. So first of all, sustainability to me means awareness.
Also, I grew up going to church every Sunday, so I am very religious. And a few years ago, the pastor preached about people being stewards of the earth. I recently heard another sermon about the preciousness of water as well as other gifts of the earth. Whether you are religious or not, people are the ones in charge of the earth. Sustainability also means taking responsibility for the state of the earth, how healthy it is, and whether we're helping it flourish or sucking it dry.