The following is a guest post from Julie
I recently posed this question on several LinkedIn green groups and was surprised to get so many answers with a wide range of opinions. Most of them advocated systemic expressions of sustainability: green business, policy and regulation, economic incentives, standards, strategic planning, and simple common sense. A few mentioned awareness-building: education, marketing campaigns (“green is good”), and mission statements. The rest championed tools like directories, handbooks, and websites. One outlier suggested that sometimes the answer is just in a state of mind.
In the spirit of Ken Wilber and Integral, in one sense they are all right. Just not 100% right, to the exclusion of the others. I found it intriguing that the majority of them oriented towards systems, technologies, and policy, and only one touched on the metaphysical. Yet, consciousness of our innermost motivations, values, and beliefs is critical to the success of any greening initiative, whether personal or organizational.
As we make the transition from short-term, fear- and anxiety-based motivations to more long-term, optimistic and effective motivations, it’s important to bring greater consciousness to what’s behind our behaviors. Shining the light of awareness on how and whether our needs are being met can be transforming.
At GOforChange, we believe strongly that eco-friendly strategies are far better at meeting the full range of our needs than tired, wasteful consumerism. We are designing a process to help people bring that awareness to their own lives, called Your EcoBlueprint. One clear benefit is that it eliminates the mismatch between people’s “shoulds” and their actual behavior, giving them a fresh perspective on which green strategies actually work for them. Your EcoBlueprint is as unique as your fingerprint!
We invite you to give us your thoughts and feedback. What are the struggles or challenges you have with making green a priority? Is big-picture visioning a distraction from necessary action, or a helpful North Star? How are you negotiating the glut of information out there? We would love to hear stories of your ah-hah moments, successes, roadblocks, and your favorite awareness practices! Drop us a line through the website contact page, or comment here.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I live in Southern California where the majority of my neighbors have already made the shift. Individually it's hard but as a united community, the shift is certainly possible.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I have found that living by example is a great way to encourage people to go green.
When they see simple strategies that make a positive difference to how you feel, your health AND the health of the planet, they often come on board in some way.
A deterrent to going green I've found is the expense. For example, we eat organically but it's a bit of a hit to the wallet. We are happy to pay more for organic food because we feel significantly better, we like to support organic producers and we feel it's critical we help the planet as much as possible. For a lot of people though, especially during these times, the cost is an obstacle.
May 5th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I agree that we must live by example to get people involved in living more sustainable lifestyles. One thing that I push for is the fact that using less and conserving can really save you money. This alone could be a motivating factor to going green.
May 6th, 2009 at 4:40 am
What I have found hardest is to want to change the world without being a tyrant. It seems all people around me, to a certain extent, want to change and do their part. But only a fraction of them make truly conscious life decisions.
It's like when you try to get someone you know in shape and eating better : It's hard work and frustrating, but in the end, if they don't take care of themselves, they will be the ones that will suffer from it. But with green living, the ones that don't care or won't try make everyone suffer for it...
It's sometimes very hard to stay open minded and not be judgmental.
May 6th, 2009 at 4:42 am
I also believe that examples are important. State regulation of course also isn't a small factor either. Organic food could be subsidized to a certain degree..
May 6th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Is the day to day BS that makes it difficult. People (including myself) get caught up taking out the trash, putting the kids to bed, paying the cable bill ...etc.. That living a green lifestyle takes a back seat. Once the practice of being green takes over liking brushing the teeth, than it becomes part of your lifestyle.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I use all eco friendly products and have found them to be brilliant although I have to say they are more expensive. I often recommend them to others but once again the cost usually comes into it and I find a lot of the time people choose price over using a green alternative. I have also just recently had a baby and it is good to know that not only are the products good for the environment but also safe to use on and around a baby. I think education is the way to get people to be come more a wear. I don't think people really understand the big impact they are having on the environment or their health.