The Stigma of Sustainability

As new technology advances at an astronomical pace, humanities progress has improved at a glacial pace. Sustainable development cannot be successful no matter how many technological advances happen it must be the decisions, mindsets, and the behaviors of people that can change the situation. Think of how many parts of sustainability are simply a matter of a little extra thought and care about how things are designed and disposed of. Building orientation, passive design, and waste management/reduction are just a view of early, free decisions that can greatly impact energy use and reuse of materials.  Technology is certainly important, but it’s more like the icing on the sustainable cake. The heart of the matter is actually how people respond to the actual conditions that confront them in their environment and daily lives.

So why haven’t we all rallied around the need to be sustainable and thoughtful about how we treat God’s beautiful planet. I believe to some extent it is on the part of ignorance about our predicament. Some people are oblivious that the way they live their lives is actually impacting everyone. Increasing awareness is something we can all to (this blog is evidence of that). What I think is the largest reason that most have not reevaluated their lives and changed to become sustainable is because of the stigmas associates with sustainability. The most fundamental stigmas are: 1. Sustainability Costs too much 2. Sustainability is inconvenient and burdensome and 3. That sustainability is beyond our control.

I must confess, I’m working on my own self with these stigmas and ideas as I come to learn more about the dire straits we are in. I’m so used to a life of disposal and convenience that it has been difficult for me to change (And I’ve been educated about our situation!) Just speaking freely here, I love getting to school or work quickly and efficiently in my car without having to leave early, sweat, and ride a bike every day. However, I don’t have to ride in my SUV 20 minutes both ways alone! Carpooling is a viable option for minimizing the carbon used if 2 other people going the same way ride with you. Let’s consider the three stigmas with this one aspect. 1. Carpooling costs too much- of course this is not true the more people you drive the more money you save and the less you harm the environment. 2. Carpooling is inconvenient and burdensome – This can be true if you do not coordinate between riders, however if you pick up people closer to you and arrange pick up times you can be to work on time stress free. 3. Carpooling is beyond our control- Everyone can drive, this is completely doable!

Think of how many scenarios that we may have applied these stigmas and have allowed them to keep us from helping out the planet. We could evaluate our decisions sand see if we can’t do a little that will change a lot. It is unrealistic to say that there are never tradeoffs with sustainability but I think it is safe to say that the pros certainly outweigh the cons. But that’s just my thinking …next time.