I Have a Vision

I Have a Vision

As a young adult about to be entering the “real world”, I have thought a lot about what the future holds. Admittedly, most of my thoughts about the future have pertained mostly to me and my personal future. After reading the assignments this week regarding the future of sustainability and the lack of future consciousness today, I’ve realized that I may need to adjust the way that I perceive the future. I have always been optimistic about my future, but rather pessimistic about the future of sustainability. I have found myself guilty of the habitual beliefs discussed in the lecture, falling for assumptions such as “I’m only one person, what does it matter what I do if nobody else is doing anything?”, and “We’ve been doing things the same way for hundreds of years, and we’re all still here, so it must not be that bad”. I need to adopt new mental modes to change my outlook on the future of sustainability. I know that I am not the only person out there in need of a new perspective, and hopefully I can inspire others to adopt new ways of thinking about sustainability as well.

My vision for a sustainable future involves a unified movement of individuals, industries and governments working together to make sustainability a priority. A lot can be accomplished by individuals working at a grass-roots level. In fact, that is how many sustainability efforts are being spread and where a lot of the motivation for sustainability is coming from. Individuals, as consumers, need to be aware of the impact of the choices they make. Many people fall into the same category as me, thinking just one person’s efforts won’t amount to anything. According to Lombardo, this belief that we, as individuals, have the ability to positively affect the future can lead to more optimistic thinking about the future. Our ever increasing population has significantly altered the magnitude of our environmental impact, as according to Durning, United States energy consumption has risen 60% since 1950. However, if everyone were to make even the smallest change in behavior, such as recycling, limiting the amount of packaged products they buy, purchasing goods locally, or growing their own produce, the impact would be significant.

People often require some sort of incentive to make behavioral changes. As true as this is for individuals, it is even greater for businesses and industry. Businesses typically have one major priority: money. Most decisions that a company makes are based on fiscal outcomes. The habitual belief that sustainable practices are more expensive is a hindrance to environmental responsibility in the business world. However, the consumer demand for more sustainable products has made an impact on the way companies perceive environmental responsibility. Ultimately, this makes the consumer the driving force behind sustainable industry practices. Businesses are being more sustainable in order to sell their products. Businesses have the mental mode that they must adapt to the consumer demands in order to stay relevant in the market and gain business from the consumers. The problem with this mental mode is that businesses can deceptively market products in order to gain business without actually altering business practices to be more sustainable. According to Kim and Oki, the rise of global capitalism will play a big role in the future of sustainability. Businesses need to adopt the mental mode of intergenerational responsibility and realize that since they are a big part of the problem, they need to be a big part of the solution as well.

Government does not have the same mental mode as business, because they are not responsible for selling and marketing products to consumers. They do have a responsibility to the people to protect their liberties and safety. As a whole, I believe that governments should be able to implement programs that protect the environment, as long as they don’t interfere with personal liberties. Incentive programs would entice people to practice environmental sustainability without making them feel as if they are being forced to do something against their free will. An example of this would be tax credits for energy saving purchases. Businesses could also be given incentives to practice sustainable. Alternatively, the government could remove counterproductive programs such as subsidies for practices that contribute to problems. By subsidizing certain crops and altering tax laws, the government can control which products are expensive and which are affordable. Sugar, for example, is very affordable and readily available in many countries, but because the Unites States has high tariffs on sugar and subsidizes corn crops, high fructose corn syrup is much more affordable here, and therefore used in many products that are available to consumers. According to Durning, altering tax laws and subsidies in favor of sustainable practices can guide businesses and individuals to be more responsible with our resources.

I have a vision of these three major bodies working together to achieve a sustainable future. Individuals practicing sustainability at a grass-roots level will spark changes in industry practices. These changes in industry practices will play a major role in reducing the negative effects of manufacturing and agriculture. Incentives from the government will help to get people on board who maybe aren’t quite convinced that they need to change their mental mode and are making decisions based on monetary and fiscal gain. I think that some of these things are beginning to take shape in our society now, and we are headed in the right direction. If we can continue to forge ahead in the efforts to change the way our society perceives sustainability then I am optimistic about the future of our planet.