Why Change?

“Environmental solutions that depend solely on will power are doomed to fail,” states David Owen, author of the soon to be released book Green Metropolis, which was recently reviewed in the New York Times. Owen argues that cities are the answer to the sustainable living issue, as a variety of factors (public transportation, smaller living spaces, etc.) result in a smaller environmental footprint for urban dwellers than that of their suburban counterparts.  I can’t really comment on that without reading the book, but I look forward to taking a closer look when it is released.

In the meantime, Owen’s gloomy assertion of will power may not be true.  In a similarly gloomy straw poll, Reuters concludes that people are unwilling to make radical lifestyle changes that will help the environment.  However, the poll found that people are more likely to make fundamental life changes for altruistic reasons than they are for financial reasons.

So how does that work?  People are willing to make little changes, such as recycling, for altruistic reasons.  Other small changes, like using compact flourescent lightbulbs, have financial advantages in addition to being environmentally beneficial.  But few people are going to become vegetarians because it will save them money, even though it will.  It takes a greater calling to stop eating meat or give up your vehicle.

This means that Owen’s assertion may be incorrect and fundamentally changes the discussion on incentivizing global change from the ground up.  While financial incentive programs may be sufficient to motivate incremental change, they will not be enough to bring change on the level required to avoid disastrous levels of environmental decline.  Fundamental change on a global scale will be the sum of individuals changing their lives for the greater good.

At the heart of this equation lie education and mechanisms.  People need to be educated on the issues at hand.  And once they are convinced, the mechanisms for action must be clear.  As mentioned today on TreeHugger regarding a new iPhone application that helps buyers choose organic produce, no one wants to “read through a scientific article at each produce bin.”  Global interrelation is all shades of gray, but we must begin to break down information on sustainability into bite size chunks, or the battle for the masses will be lost.

We also must fundamentally reevaluate our understanding of motivation, because some changes can’t be bought.  Some changes happen because you believe in them.