While we may think that we as individuals are powerless to make the necessary large scale changes needed to change the direction of global warming, environmental degradation, social inequities, and the resultant conflicts, I would propose that we individually are the only way to change the world. And in fact, we as individuals have tremendous power to do so but first we need to recognize that power and then use it wisely at every opportunity.
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Personal Decisions:
As I count the daily decisions that I make, which average between 50-100, depending on the day, I realize that each of those decisions can and does change the world for better or worse. From the shower I start the day with, to the breakfast I eat, to what I choose to order for lunch (and eat it on!) to the clothes I purchase (where and by whom they were made), how I keep those clothes clean, how I get to work, how I work (recycled paper, recycled printer cartridges, recycling trash, lighting and ventilation, computers and equipment and use).
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Business Decisions:
When I do my work (I am an architect), the number of decisions that can change the world exponentially increase to 250 to even 400 or 500 on a really productive day! All have substantial environmental, social (health) impacts that typically are not consciously taken into consideration as we move through our day focused on our deadlines, obligations and maintaining a sense of balance.
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But every time I make these decisions unconsciously, I have begun to realize that I am throwing away my power to change the world and, in many cases, at the same time I am counter-productively reinforcing the current unsustainable paradigm. Every time I choose to eat take out food from plastic plates I now know that I am reinforcing the unhealthy paradigm of serving non-nutritious food (at best) and concurrently causing environmental degradation. This act is not only unhealthy for my body but also connectedly unhealthy for my environment. If my environment is not healthy, I have no chance of being healthy.
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So once I understand that connection, it is pretty easy to make another choice without much effort. I can easily choose to eat at another establishment usually without any sense of loss but rather a great sense of gain! The more times I make that choice the more those choices will become the norm. Imagine a world without plastic throw-aways, with healthy, organic food that nourishes our bodies (and our souls), enhancing our connection to our natural environment rather than destroying it. If everyone decided not to eat at establishments that used throw away plastic, there would be no establishments like that-- and it would happen quite fast!
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All I need to do is start the wheels rolling with a STATEMENT OF MY INTENT –“I INTEND TO USE ALL MY POWER TO CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE”-- and then incrementally educate myself about each of those millions of seemingly tiny decisions, one at a time, until my entire day is filled with positive contributions that WIILL CHANGE THE WORLD. In fact, as Margaret Mead noted, ONLY INDIVIDUALS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. Governments, public entities and markets are only reflections of us. When we change, so will they.
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There are many shared information and resources currently available to educate consumers in nearly every area of decision-making. There are also increasingly greater numbers of resources, such as Green Building Pages that have created means of evaluating materials, products and services of all types, and increasingly greater disclosure and labeling requirements. Most importantly, there are beginning to be vast numbers of third party (non-invested) product and service certifications, such as SMaRT Sustainable Product Certification that help consumers wade through this maze of decision-making and offer assurance that claims are not simply ‘green-wash’ but have been tested and verified true and accurate.
We as consumers are THE KEY PLAYERS in this evolution. The market WILL produce that which is demanded and sells. Manufacturers are all over monitoring demand and quickly adapting to it because if they don’t they are out of business in a blink of an eye. MY JOB THEN IS TO DEMAND—COMPLETE, CURRENT, TRANSPARENT AND CERTIFIED INFORMATION WITH WHICH TO MAKE THE MYRIAD OF INFORMED DECISIONS EVERY DAY THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD. Then, and only then will I be able to wield my considerable power toward my stated intent of creating a more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable world. Just asking the right questions will create a substantial change!
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Contact: Marilyn Farmer
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