 |
There, I said it. The “l-word.” Good heavens this will probably be my last article, and never
mind the fact that nobody who reads this will ever take me seriously again. Because, as
we all know, unless you write greeting cards for a living, grown-up, serious people don’t
say the “l-word.” At least not in public.
Well, I want to know two things before I get permanently ostracized from adult society: 1)
When in our history did this rule come into effect?, and 2) Who do we think we’re kidding?
Cause here’s the truth (and boy oh boy can we get in trouble for going there.) Everything
we do is motivated by love.
Now admittedly this is a bit of an oversimplification, but beyond our basic biological
requirements the vast majority of our psychological needs revolve around love: yearning to
feel the love, fearing we’ll lose the love, or wanting to share the love. Give me just about
any behavior or personality trait and I bet we’ll find that when we trace it back to its roots,
and take in to account what that person’s belief system is, we’ll discover that at its core—it
is always about the love.
So (you might be saying) what’s that have to do with environmental sustainability? Being
“green” allows us to continue to do what we love, care for whom we love, and create a
world we love. First of all, we depend absolutely on the resources from the natural world
for our survival—oxygen, water, food, and the raw materials we use to make roofs, toaster
ovens, sneakers, etc. Therefore, no matter what you “love” to do in the world—whether
build skyscrapers, ride bikes, trade stocks, make quilts, or feed the homeless—you need
the environment to get it done. Period.
Let’s look at it another way. When there were fewer of us on the planet and we got what we
needed from within a hundred miles or so of our homes, someone’s choices in Italy didn’t
have any impact on those hanging out in British Columbia. But now, with the advent of
globalization, in an era where, for instance, to make a computer we need materials and
manufacturing plants from nearly every ding-dong continent, fossil fuels to produce and run
it that send greenhouse gasses into everyone’s atmosphere, and after its short lifespan a
place (that’s anywhere but here) to send that harmful electronic waste, then our actions
absolutely do have very far-reaching and very real consequences for people all over the
planet.
Those “other people” whom our day-to-day choices impact are all themselves mothers and
children and best friends of somebody else. You wouldn’t want anyone to do anything to
harm someone you love, right? And most of us couldn’t live with (or love) ourselves if we
knew for sure that our lifestyle was somehow directly hurting somebody else’s family,
right? So when choosing whether to take actions to reduce our environmental impact, or
not, we’re really making a choice about how much we love and respect others and
ourselves. We can choose self-interest and put our own desires at all times above
everyone else, and/or act altruistically and consistently consider their needs.
Just one more thing. What’s your vision for a happy and sustainable world? What matters
most to you? What do you (here it comes again) love? The answers to these questions
are what guide our decisions both day-to-day and over the years. Most parents would say
they would easily sacrifice their lives to save their children because they love them so
completely and fiercely. And even if we don’t have kids ourselves most of us feel some
responsibility about how we’re leaving things for the next generation.
But what if we didn’t have to go to such extremes? What if you could just drive way less,
significantly reduce your energy use, consistently seek out local and organic food,
consume fewer resources, and vote for policies that protect the environment? What if it
were that easy to do what you love, have what you love, and share what you love? And if we
don’t take those simple steps, what we will say to our grandchildren when they ask us what
we did to protect the planet and all that they love?
No matter how you slice it environmental sustainability is all about the love. Whether you’re
trying to save your own skin or someone else’s—and no matter who or what you love—we
all need the earth, and its goods and services, to survive and thrive. So take some time to
really consider what you love, and the kind of world you’ll feel proud to be a part of creating,
and let’s all get busy living for the love and making it happen. I love you.
© 2007 JENNIFER H. WHITE, ROOT SYSTEMS INSTITUTE, LLC ~ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
mind the fact that nobody who reads this will ever take me seriously again. Because, as
we all know, unless you write greeting cards for a living, grown-up, serious people don’t
say the “l-word.” At least not in public.
Well, I want to know two things before I get permanently ostracized from adult society: 1)
When in our history did this rule come into effect?, and 2) Who do we think we’re kidding?
Cause here’s the truth (and boy oh boy can we get in trouble for going there.) Everything
we do is motivated by love.
Now admittedly this is a bit of an oversimplification, but beyond our basic biological
requirements the vast majority of our psychological needs revolve around love: yearning to
feel the love, fearing we’ll lose the love, or wanting to share the love. Give me just about
any behavior or personality trait and I bet we’ll find that when we trace it back to its roots,
and take in to account what that person’s belief system is, we’ll discover that at its core—it
is always about the love.
So (you might be saying) what’s that have to do with environmental sustainability? Being
“green” allows us to continue to do what we love, care for whom we love, and create a
world we love. First of all, we depend absolutely on the resources from the natural world
for our survival—oxygen, water, food, and the raw materials we use to make roofs, toaster
ovens, sneakers, etc. Therefore, no matter what you “love” to do in the world—whether
build skyscrapers, ride bikes, trade stocks, make quilts, or feed the homeless—you need
the environment to get it done. Period.
Let’s look at it another way. When there were fewer of us on the planet and we got what we
needed from within a hundred miles or so of our homes, someone’s choices in Italy didn’t
have any impact on those hanging out in British Columbia. But now, with the advent of
globalization, in an era where, for instance, to make a computer we need materials and
manufacturing plants from nearly every ding-dong continent, fossil fuels to produce and run
it that send greenhouse gasses into everyone’s atmosphere, and after its short lifespan a
place (that’s anywhere but here) to send that harmful electronic waste, then our actions
absolutely do have very far-reaching and very real consequences for people all over the
planet.
Those “other people” whom our day-to-day choices impact are all themselves mothers and
children and best friends of somebody else. You wouldn’t want anyone to do anything to
harm someone you love, right? And most of us couldn’t live with (or love) ourselves if we
knew for sure that our lifestyle was somehow directly hurting somebody else’s family,
right? So when choosing whether to take actions to reduce our environmental impact, or
not, we’re really making a choice about how much we love and respect others and
ourselves. We can choose self-interest and put our own desires at all times above
everyone else, and/or act altruistically and consistently consider their needs.
Just one more thing. What’s your vision for a happy and sustainable world? What matters
most to you? What do you (here it comes again) love? The answers to these questions
are what guide our decisions both day-to-day and over the years. Most parents would say
they would easily sacrifice their lives to save their children because they love them so
completely and fiercely. And even if we don’t have kids ourselves most of us feel some
responsibility about how we’re leaving things for the next generation.
But what if we didn’t have to go to such extremes? What if you could just drive way less,
significantly reduce your energy use, consistently seek out local and organic food,
consume fewer resources, and vote for policies that protect the environment? What if it
were that easy to do what you love, have what you love, and share what you love? And if we
don’t take those simple steps, what we will say to our grandchildren when they ask us what
we did to protect the planet and all that they love?
No matter how you slice it environmental sustainability is all about the love. Whether you’re
trying to save your own skin or someone else’s—and no matter who or what you love—we
all need the earth, and its goods and services, to survive and thrive. So take some time to
really consider what you love, and the kind of world you’ll feel proud to be a part of creating,
and let’s all get busy living for the love and making it happen. I love you.
© 2007 JENNIFER H. WHITE, ROOT SYSTEMS INSTITUTE, LLC ~ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Environmental Sustainability Is All About the Love
by Jennifer White
by Jennifer White
© 1997-2008 JENNIFER H. WHITE, ROOT SYSTEMS INSTITUTE, LLC ~ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED HOME | ABOUT | SERVICES | RESOURCES | CONTACT |
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| In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, we will understand only what we are taught. ~ Baba Dioum, Senegalese ecologist |