When Joe Biden was elected President of the United States of America, it was a monumental moment for multiple reasons. One of the reasons was that we could, perhaps, expect our elected officials to pass meaningful legislation. Perhaps, finally, sustainability will finally come to the forefront of politics.
This shift in sentiment means that conversations in sustainability have now shifted towards how we can demand change from government officials rather than educating the masses.
The question of systemic change vs individual change has never been discussed more often.
The only correct answer to that question is that we need both. To add further to that answer, however, I would also venture so far as to say that voices advocating for sustainability should always advocate for both sides of the equation.
I also believe that here at Reinventing Sustainability, our unorthodox approach to sustainability is precisely what is needed at all levels, be it systemic or individual. Rather than advocating for either individual change or systemic change, I believe in reframing the conversation of what type of change is actually needed.
Reinventing Sustainability: A Values-Based Way of Thinking
The journey we take towards being sustainable is applicable to each individual person or to a nation as a whole. Throughout our journey of discovering what we believe in, why we are fighting to save the Earth, and how we can continuously learn and grow, we discover certain values, ethics, or morals that we will ascribe to.
For me, I believe in accessibility, inclusion, tolerance, and attainability.
Reframing the conversation to remove the barriers and labels of individual change vs systemic change means finding a viable alternative for how we can think about sustainability. I believe in talking about how sustainability can be accessible, inclusive, tolerant, and attainable. This question can be asked of us individually as people and to our government officials responding for directing the future of our nation.
Reform is wonderful, but let’s take our time to first think about what type of reform we want.
In our execution of legislation such as the Green New Deal (or other similar proposals), are we accounting for how the execution will affect all of us? Have we accounted for the ways in which many people’s livelihoods deeply rely on the existing infrastructure today? In our search for new zero-emissions transportation, have we accounted for this type of transportation system to be accessible to all people, regardless of their socioeconomic status?
What if our legislation expanded the criteria for creating new zero-emissions transportation to include a necessary mandate for this to be accessible to all people, regardless of if they have a million dollars in their bank account or only ten dollars? What if we mandated it to be necessary to creative ways to create new jobs for people who rely on the gas and oil industry to put food on the table?
This isn’t a critique of the Green New Deal, but rather, this is a call for all of us to expand our thinking. Let’s use our fundamental values to address these problems. Let’s take our reform one step further and account for all of the things that we don’t think about when we think only about ourselves.
Is the reform we’re proposing accessible to everyone, inclusive of all socioeconomic classes, tolerant to all lifestyles, and attainable to achieve?
When the Individual Becomes the Masses
Similarly, if we ask each individual to reform their lifestyles to be sustainable, what is it we’re asking them to do? Are we asking people who struggle to put food on the table to spend the money they don’t have to eat an expensive vegan diet that also provides the needed nutrition? Are we asking people who find joy in immersing themselves in other cultures as a way of expanding their worldview to stay put and never travel again?
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to reform, especially reform to people’s individual lifestyles.
But what if we ask everyone to find ways that they can start being sustainable in their own lives? Maybe the travelers eat a vegan diet and don’t often buy new clothes or other consumer goods. Maybe those who eat a meat-based diet frequently travel using public transportation and other forms of emissions-saving travel.
It isn’t a perfect picture, but few things in life and nature are rarely perfect. Perfection is the antithesis of nature, and imperfection is often what makes life so beautiful.
When we allow each of us to be imperfect but provide each other with the tools, resources, and inspiration to become better each and every day, we are developing something far greater than we can ever hope for: real, grassroots change that comes from the people. It would then be a type of change that unites the New York banker with the Oklahoma farmer and the Californian wellness coach. That grassroots, customizable approach to sustainability is what Reinventing Sustainability is all about.
Isn’t that so much better than simply demanding blanket individual change and then getting angry when other people fail to live up to our unrealistic expectations of them?
When All Else Fails, Try Something New
What is glaringly obvious is that our existing approach isn’t working. We have now talked about climate change, wildlife extinction, and human rights issues for decades now. To be sure, we have made progress. However, is that progress happening at the speed that our planet needs it to happen at? No.
If our planet cannot afford for any longer for us to create real change, then let us change our approach. We are as toddlers trying to fit a too-large square into a too-small circle and being adamant it will work. We have already tried this existing method of infighting, intolerance, exclusivity, and finger-pointing for far too long.
Let’s find common ground and let our values guide us and our work. If we truly believe that saving the planet is the goal, then we need to stop spending time building walls and spend more time building bridges.
To read more about how you can start becoming sustainable in your life today, check out Reinventing Sustainability.
