Hey everyone! Do you remember the last time you were informed of environmental slogans/policies or used something environmentally friendly? Was that policy or your own action more impactful and memorable?
My post today will be about an article by Hobson:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13668790600902375#.VFEHa_mUcf0
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13668790600902375#.VFEHa_mUcf0
In this article, Hobson discusses the reliance that sustainable consumption has on the material world. She noticed the phenomenon of anti-consumerism consumerism, where eco-modernisation and new knowledge increased people's consumption of more energy and resource efficient goods as an alternative to conventional consumption that harms the environment.
Using the Australian Conservation Foundation's 'Greenhome' programme (Fig. 1) as a case study, Hobson investigated how their workshops on topics like waste and water aimed to change people's affiliations with daily products such that they will have more environmentally friendly practices. This subtle approach was adopted to mitigate the unpopularity of pervasive environmentalism.
Fig. 1 Logo of GreenHome programme (source: http://www.metrowater.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/styles/wfl_medium_project/public/images/wysiwyg/ACF_greenhome.jpg?itok=V6cGpzGn)
Introducing objects like recycling bins often lead to eco-friendly outcomes such as increased recycling efforts as it necessitates people to change their habits (Fig. 2). However, without objects to guide them, practices like water conservation fall short on improvement. It is thus possible that ethics are developed from the physical surroundings of an individual rather than educational values.
Fig. 2 The inclination to practice more environmental friendliness with environmental products at hand. (source: http://legacymedia.localworld.co.uk/275812/Article/images/15401856/3589011.png)
Although this is a limit to sustainable lifestyle promotion, materialism still has a successful side. Hobson noted that people placed more significance on the environment with their lives revolving around eco-friendly obejcts. While this is not the outcome that environmentalists desire, I feel that human nature is not something advocates should compete with but rather adapt towards such that the same goal is reached.
While critics have lamented the reliance of society on technology as goods are becoming a prerequisite to sustainable changes, I agree with Hobson that more research is needed to evaluate this observation. Furthermore, practices will naturally differ across multiple regions and religions. In countries with stronger family-oriented values and lesser materialism, values could prove more persuasive than goods in promoting sustainable lifestyles.
In conclusion, the future presents several avenues which environmentalists can exact change and they must have situational awareness when developing plans to improve sustainability.
Literature Cited
Hobson, K. (2006,
November 21). Bins, Bulbs, and Shower Timers: On the ‘Techno-Ethics’ of
Sustainable Living. Ethics, Policy & Environment: A Journal of
Philosophy & Geography, 9(3), 317-336. doi:10.1080/13668790600902375
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