Jeff Gibbs '...I truly believe that the path to change comes from awareness. that awareness alone can begin to create the transformation. We humans must accept that infinite growth on a finite planet is suicide...'
I like the line 'infinite growth on a finite planet', but think it's worthwhile to expand the discussion to include, not just the nuts and bolts of what we consume and how, but the 'why' behind that consumerism.
Because that 'why' varies greatly depending on individual circumstance, and I think too often these conversations dismiss those drivers as, "Oh, capitalism" and then move along. All IKEA shoppers are not created equal and we tend to forget that, for every frustrated white-color worker making an impulse buy at Zara as a distraction from emotional frustration, there's a poor person who just needs a damn interview suit.
There's a certain 'let them eat cake' quality to a lot of the discussion, is what I mean, however unintentional, and I think a helpful definition of sustainability needs to take into account some of the larger social problems from which we're distracted by this endless cycle of buying - the way an abundance of cheap goods masks systemic social inequality.
Yes, I see an 'abundance of cheap goods' as one the driver for consumerism. Unless for informed and wealthy individual, commoditization has become a form of false comfort. We drove the system to everything to everyone at a low price; low price for whom? Not for the whole. Cheap has become a new driver for the exploitation of humans and nature.
One consideration is, if not for everybody (low price will drive selection), what happens next?
@Costantino Spagnoletti Yes. How do we recalibrate in such a way that our efforts to live lightly on the planet don't inadvertently harm vulnerable people or deepen the socio-economic divide? And also acknowledge that it's easy to talk about how freeing and liberating it is to make do with less when you know what it's like to have a lot. How do we make sustainability accessible, I suppose?
We need to promote and copy companies that create accessible sustainability and build financial models out of it. It was also inspiring what @Omar Samra said yesterday about "citizen science." How can we bring collective wisdom more in the decision-making process?
Fabrice Bonnifet, President of the College of Directors of Sustainable Development (C3D) recently stated :
“Whether it's gray or green, growth is driving us into the wall, but my job is to change the trajectory to make sure we don't take it too fast, too hard and too much head on.
What I promote is the "Prosperity without growth" formalized by Tim Jackson in 2007. The trees stop growing one day but that does not prevent them from continuing to produce fruit, fertilize the soil.
We are going to reach a plateau in terms of consumption, but that does not mean that the human happiness index will stagnate. We have to be able to demonstrate that an economy of abundance is possible thanks to a third way. It is possible, but it requires changing everything. Business models must be completely changed. Some sectors will have to diversify and accept a drop in their current activities.”
@Emma Meheust thanks for the info about "Prosperity without growth", I didn`t know it! I already wanted to learn about how this concept would look like on a global nivel :)
Oooo... I want to read more about this. I do like how he acknowledges that this involves a radical re-tooling of pretty much everything. (Viva la revolucion, etc.)
I like the line 'infinite growth on a finite planet', but think it's worthwhile to expand the discussion to include, not just the nuts and bolts of what we consume and how, but the 'why' behind that consumerism.
Because that 'why' varies greatly depending on individual circumstance, and I think too often these conversations dismiss those drivers as, "Oh, capitalism" and then move along. All IKEA shoppers are not created equal and we tend to forget that, for every frustrated white-color worker making an impulse buy at Zara as a distraction from emotional frustration, there's a poor person who just needs a damn interview suit.
There's a certain 'let them eat cake' quality to a lot of the discussion, is what I mean, however unintentional, and I think a helpful definition of sustainability needs to take into account some of the larger social problems from which we're distracted by this endless cycle of buying - the way an abundance of cheap goods masks systemic social inequality.
Yes, I see an 'abundance of cheap goods' as one the driver for consumerism. Unless for informed and wealthy individual, commoditization has become a form of false comfort. We drove the system to everything to everyone at a low price; low price for whom? Not for the whole. Cheap has become a new driver for the exploitation of humans and nature.
One consideration is, if not for everybody (low price will drive selection), what happens next?
@Costantino Spagnoletti Yes. How do we recalibrate in such a way that our efforts to live lightly on the planet don't inadvertently harm vulnerable people or deepen the socio-economic divide? And also acknowledge that it's easy to talk about how freeing and liberating it is to make do with less when you know what it's like to have a lot. How do we make sustainability accessible, I suppose?
@lewolfe indeed.
We need to promote and copy companies that create accessible sustainability and build financial models out of it. It was also inspiring what @Omar Samra said yesterday about "citizen science." How can we bring collective wisdom more in the decision-making process?
Fabrice Bonnifet, President of the College of Directors of Sustainable Development (C3D) recently stated : “Whether it's gray or green, growth is driving us into the wall, but my job is to change the trajectory to make sure we don't take it too fast, too hard and too much head on. What I promote is the "Prosperity without growth" formalized by Tim Jackson in 2007. The trees stop growing one day but that does not prevent them from continuing to produce fruit, fertilize the soil. We are going to reach a plateau in terms of consumption, but that does not mean that the human happiness index will stagnate. We have to be able to demonstrate that an economy of abundance is possible thanks to a third way. It is possible, but it requires changing everything. Business models must be completely changed. Some sectors will have to diversify and accept a drop in their current activities.”
@Emma Meheust thanks for the info about "Prosperity without growth", I didn`t know it! I already wanted to learn about how this concept would look like on a global nivel :)
Oooo... I want to read more about this. I do like how he acknowledges that this involves a radical re-tooling of pretty much everything. (Viva la revolucion, etc.)
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_jackson_an_economic_reality_check?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare