Sustainability- do people really care?

ilovenerds

Sustainable development is defined as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Essentially, this means utilising the earth’s resources at a rate which corresponds to, or is less than, nature’s ability to regenerate them. My question is does sustainability actually matter to you? As a consumer, a commuter or a home owner have you ever actually inconvenienced yourself for the sake of the planet?

My own opinion is that people view "buying green" as a non-committal way to seem like a good citizen. Perhaps a substitute for the moral high people used to get for attending mass on a Sunday before a more secular society evolved. Some businesses seem to be embracing sustainability but on a very superficial or “strategic” basis. For example a well known brand promised to cut GHG emissions associated with transport by approx 50% a few years ago. They managed to achieve this target but also expanded their business and overall created more GHG’s than they had prior to their pledge. Irrefutably, these advertising campaigns work and their success reveals the insincerity of the general public’s interest in sustainability.

Finally, is sustainability just a concept or is it actually attainable? Are we mistaking a sustainable system with one which is simply less unsustainable?

Permabear

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MungBean

I think people do want to be logical about consumption and I think that the fact that certain advertising campaigns for certain companies have been aimed at that shows theres a market for it.

If theres a market for it to be profitable for a company to try and get in on it then that represents a sizeable part of society that care about sustainability. I dont think people are insincere though they have just been misled to a certain degree. And there are so many distractions in today’s world too that draw attention away from the real issues.

Personally I dont think real sustainability can be achieved in a profit driven society, may not even be achievable in a non profit driven society either. Until we create a clean, efficient, cheap renewable energy source then whatever we do will only be aimed at being less unsustainable and not trying to become sustainable as such.

Water is the main thing I care about. I don't understand how anyone has 20 mins showers. Mine are quite short. But then I did learn it the hard way from water rationing while living in Spain!
I don't know that most people care all that much, to be honest...

Red Hand

Ideology goes out the window the minute when a person tries to do something they most certainly want to do.

As regards sustainability, no, this is not achievable unless there are controls in place. Left up to individual people themselves and without an external control (eg government/regulation) then resources will be used up even quicker than than they would be without such a control.

And even then, sustainability is not achievable...people are like bacteria...breed until their living space becomes intolerable, the die off until there is a more realistic population base to occupy that living space.

dashboard_hula

This 20 minute shower business baffles me as well, any person working at a desk job or similar can only be so dirty at the end of the day. I lived in Australia during water shortages on the west coast, and god help you if your housemates heard the shower running longer than the alloted 3 minutes!

As for the sustainability question, I'm not sure. I do my best with what I have, which boils down to watching my water usage, recycling (although who knows where those green bins end up tbh), using canvas bags, re-using glass and plastic where possible before sending them off to be recycled and walking when possible. However granted, I do these things because it's a habit, and it's been made very easy for me to do so. I'm not sure how much of an effort I'd make if it wasn't second nature.

If any large company or small firm reap a PR benefit by using sustainable energy or environmental waste methods, then bonus. I don't particularly care what their motivation is, and I don't see any company "going green" without some large consideration for the positive side-effects in boasting power.

HivemindXX

Tragedy of the Commons

To most people outside the system it seems very short sighted and stupid. To most people inside the system it seems stupid not to grab as much as you can before your companions/competitors do it.

People may be maturing as a species, or perhaps as Permabear suggests, it's just for show and they don't really care. I think it's a mix, some people genuinely believe in sustainability, some just go along because they want to be seen as 'good' citizens and others have a self centred attitude where their own convenience and pleasure is all that matters. With regard to the second group I don't care if they do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Hopefully the third group will die off over the next few generations or will be regulated out of existance.

I suspect most companies that are voluntarily supporting sustainability are doing so since they feel this will head off government regulation enforcing sustainable behaviour.

dashboard_hula

dashboard_hula wrote: »

This 20 minute shower business baffles me as well, any person working at a desk job or similar can only be so dirty at the end of the day. I lived in Australia during water shortages on the west coast, and god help you if your housemates heard the shower running longer than the alloted 3 minutes!

I also lived in Brisbane for two years under its water restrictions, and honestly, you could see quite a few people breaking them regularly. Foreigner and Australian alike. While the pools were mostly empty, and people had collectors on their roofs, the cars were still often being washed at home, the gardens watered etc.

AS long as a persons main areas of convenience are not affected people will generally pick a few areas to focus on. Then they'll justify their spurges in other areas as if they've balanced things out.

Personally, I don't give the whole thing much thought. But then from what I see, I fall into the same grouping as most single people. Its just the "settled" people that seemed so concerned about the whole thing, and even then, I doubt they really commit themselves completely to their "moral" stance.

illumi

the things i care about would be water and food. I take showers that last no longer than 5 mins and turn the water off while soaping my hair and body. I don't let the tap run while brushing my teeth. And I don't throw leftover food out.

what does infuriate me is people leaving water run over night to try and prevent freezing in the pipes. Its a waste. moving water can freeze too. and leaving them run over night has no effect on the freezing of mains at all. its such a waste. they were even doing it here when the news was reporting low water reserves.
what i also find a waste is parents driving their teenage kids to school that would only be a 5 min walk.