Working for an office that is dedicated to making a university campus more sustainable has distorted my view of third world (not to mention first world) sustainability more than slightly. Why shouldn't I assume that everyone in the world is thinking about cutting back on energy and water consumption? That everyone wants a world for our future generations that isn't chalked full of landfills and polluted oceans a la Wall-E? To be honest, the people that I work with and come into contact with through this job, that have all thought seriously about how to decrease their carbon footprint, do not make up the majority of the population, in the US and especially in the world.
A couple weekends ago I had the opportunity to visit some family that were in Cape Cod for the summer. Not having seen them in a very long time, one of the first questions asked was what I was up to this summer. When my response included the word "sustainability," all I got were blanks stares or forced smiles. Now, this may be a generational issue, most of these relatives being over the age of 70, but it's still extremely disappointing when your life work (or at least your summer job's work) is completely de-legitimized. Especially by people that you know to be very intelligent and knowledgeable.
So that's the first world. Miles and miles ahead of the game as compared to the third world. How am I going to emphasize that in addition to trying to produce as much food as possible (I'm thinking about subsistence farmers now), it's also extremely important to preserve the land and make sure that all of the farming procedures and methods are sustainable? That's just not going to happen. The farmers care about harvesting as much as possible so that their family can eat. They are not worrying about what will happen to the topsoil or that certain chemicals can endanger their drinking water. It's all about getting food on the table and not watching their family go hungry when they can do something about it. So again, I ask, how in the world can I portray the importance of sustainable agriculture?
"How tedious is a guilty conscience!" So, there's always guilt. Bringing into the picture future generations may spark guilt in the heart of a parent who is damaging the very ground that his children will need to sow food for their own family. But again, who's thinking that far into the future when the uncertainty of if their children will even make it to child-bearing years is lurking in the depths of their thoughts? So let's kick guilt, because it's the dirty way to get things done.
"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." I like this one better. Leading by example is something that everyone can agree with. If I can teach and explain to just one person that green is the way to be, then maybe his neighbors will see how much plumper his mangoes look, or how much juicier his tomatoes have become, or maybe how rich his soil is. As much as this may sound like a pyramid scheme gone wrong, this is really how it's going to happen. Get one farmer hooked on sustaining his land, and then more will follow, with the proper education of why it's better for you and for your land. Now, easier said than done, my friends. And here's where I still draw a blank: How do I hook someone, someone in the third world, onto sustainability? Because in all reality, it's poverty, not affluence, that is the environment's number one enemy.
A couple weekends ago I had the opportunity to visit some family that were in Cape Cod for the summer. Not having seen them in a very long time, one of the first questions asked was what I was up to this summer. When my response included the word "sustainability," all I got were blanks stares or forced smiles. Now, this may be a generational issue, most of these relatives being over the age of 70, but it's still extremely disappointing when your life work (or at least your summer job's work) is completely de-legitimized. Especially by people that you know to be very intelligent and knowledgeable.
So that's the first world. Miles and miles ahead of the game as compared to the third world. How am I going to emphasize that in addition to trying to produce as much food as possible (I'm thinking about subsistence farmers now), it's also extremely important to preserve the land and make sure that all of the farming procedures and methods are sustainable? That's just not going to happen. The farmers care about harvesting as much as possible so that their family can eat. They are not worrying about what will happen to the topsoil or that certain chemicals can endanger their drinking water. It's all about getting food on the table and not watching their family go hungry when they can do something about it. So again, I ask, how in the world can I portray the importance of sustainable agriculture?
"How tedious is a guilty conscience!" So, there's always guilt. Bringing into the picture future generations may spark guilt in the heart of a parent who is damaging the very ground that his children will need to sow food for their own family. But again, who's thinking that far into the future when the uncertainty of if their children will even make it to child-bearing years is lurking in the depths of their thoughts? So let's kick guilt, because it's the dirty way to get things done.
"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." I like this one better. Leading by example is something that everyone can agree with. If I can teach and explain to just one person that green is the way to be, then maybe his neighbors will see how much plumper his mangoes look, or how much juicier his tomatoes have become, or maybe how rich his soil is. As much as this may sound like a pyramid scheme gone wrong, this is really how it's going to happen. Get one farmer hooked on sustaining his land, and then more will follow, with the proper education of why it's better for you and for your land. Now, easier said than done, my friends. And here's where I still draw a blank: How do I hook someone, someone in the third world, onto sustainability? Because in all reality, it's poverty, not affluence, that is the environment's number one enemy.
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