Environmental Progress

In his piece "going Green? Easy Doesn't Do It," Michael Maniates makes the excellent point that sustainability isn't easy. It takes more than flipping off the light switch when leaving the room to combat environmental harm. It is also true that our leaders should expect more from us and tell us ways that we can improve our environmental situation that are not necessarily easy. We have the ability to get motivated and mobilize, and nobody should tell us otherwise.

However, I believe that he misses a critical point. Some people do not wish to go out of their way or substantially change their lifestyle. For these people, it is the suggestion to recycle or drive less or carpool that prompts them to make any change at all. Without the easy solutions, some people would take nothing, rather than inconveniencing themselves.

Furthermore, even for the people who want to make substantial differences, they need to start somewhere. Progress towards environmental sustainability may not be as good as successful environmental sustainability, but it is still better than the status quo. And if enough people are making progress, that's even better, and before too long, they start to look for ways to make larger differences.

The only real flaw with providing 'easy' solutions to environmental problems is that many people may not distinguish between progress and success. After making progress, they may declare themselves successful and stop trying to make more changes. In this way, giving the easy solutions can clearly be a problem.

The remedy to this is for scientists and leaders to offer simple changes as well as provocative changes. This gives people ideas for change that they can choose from and find what they are comfortable doing. The people who only want to slightly modify their lifestyles (and only if it is convenient) will choose the easiest options. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the people who are always looking for a new way to help the planet will be presented with both easy and challenging ways to alter their lifestyles and they will do as many as they can. The areas between these two extremes will be filled with people who choose some combination of the above.

In the end, Maniates is correct that we need to realize that the challenge before us is large and will not be easy to solve. But that does not mean that making small changes will be ineffective. Any change, no matter how small, is a move in the right direction. Even if the move does not go as far is it needs to, it is better than staying put.