All books I read or websites I visit that talk about doing your part to save the planet have really great ideas on them..Some are simple ones like recycle more, use less toxics, drive better. Some are a little more complicated but still doable such as composting, fix your appliances, ride a bike vs. car as much as possible.
Being one of those who truly believes in the power and impact of fellow citizens, I feel really motivated when someone follows my example and use a recycle bag or based on my feedback switches of the car engine while they are waiting for their date to get ready!
But, I sometimes feel equally demotivated when all 2 people ahead of me and 3 behind in a grocery shopping line see no hesitation in getting 20 bags each for 20 grocery items! It makes me feel sometimes, “what’s the point! there are just not enough people who get what a ticking bomb we have made this planet we call home!
I think, maybe if I had a job where I could influence more people into taking the correct action, that would be better. Then I read articles that mention (ref: economist: California’s Central Valley) how CA’ secretary of natural resources spends his time flighting farm lobbyists and trying to protect forests over there! There goes that idea!
Working in a corporation and trying to change it from within might help, but the number of requests to stop companies from doing bad surpasses the congratulatory kind 100: 1 right now.
It can be daunting task but in the end I would say, we need to keep at it. Do what’s right, educate and inspire people where possible. Climate change, deforestration, water scarcity; nothing’s going to change automatically by leaders taking (or not taking) decisions in Copenhagen or elsewhere unless we first change our habits: use less plastic, drive better, buy less big houses and furniture and use water better!
So my parting words of hope to myself and all others who may come across this blog is:
‘Never underestimate the power of a small group of people committed to change the world. In fact, it the only thing that ever has.”-Margaret Mead
From Roberto, intlaffairs.wordpress.com, intlaffairsblog@gmail.com
Hi Tamanna. I think this is an important question, and my view about it is that the corporations have the biggest potential to make a positive impact, but that this potential has to be unleashed by the power the citizens have over the corporations. At the end, it’s the citizen’s demand which drives the corporations. If citizens have an environmental awareness, this will flow into their demands.
from Debashis (debmohapatra@gmail.com)
It might be possible in a corporate environment and why dont u take the initiative in ur office. Seeing that others might do the same. And u might be appreciated.