Last week I stumbled across a cute little cafe called Misschu, down an alley near Bondi Beach. As I sat down and ordered a coffee, I noticed on the table a holding cup full of disposable chopsticks. It’s not something that would have struck me before, but since starting work at Greenpeace I’ve become aware of how disposable chopsticks seriously eats into our forest resources.
Then I took a look around at the tables of other patrons. Their food was being served in throwaway cardboard boxes. My coffee arrived served in a takeaway cup, even though I was eating in. And this bothered me. What a waste! I was used to seeing that prevalence of disposable packaging in Asia but I had always given Australia credit for being fairly environmentally conscious. (Note, this was a Vietnamese eatery and thus took aesthetic cues from that habit.)
I chewed my bottom lip. Do I say something? I wanted to but I was certain the waitress would roll her eyes at me and think to herself, “here we go, another one of those annoying greenies.”
Well, I figured I could bring it up nicely, and that nothing ever changed in this world without someone speaking up. And maybe they have a legitimate reason for the throwaway packaging. That’s the other great thing about speaking up – sometimes you’re wrong, and you learn something new.
I inquired with the waitress and she looked at me embarrassed and apologetic. “Quite a few people have mentioned that, but that’s just how this place has been setup. As a [take-away] canteen.”
While it may appear that my words had little effect, who knows. It has joined the words of other ‘speaker-uper-ers’ past and future that will perhaps accumulate to the point in which Misschu’s owner decides to offer a non-disposable option for diners eating in.
Vegetarianism too is something that dawned on me slowly (technically I’m more of a “social meat-eater”, in the same way that some people are “social drinkers” or “social smokers”.) It was like losing contact with a friend, but realizing that maybe it’s for the best. There was a major contributing factor to this new found eating habit. I became friends with a vegetarian couple, even living with them for one month while I was homeless. The guy of the couple was quite hectoring about vegetarianism. He’d rattle off statistics and facts about the environmental benefits of vegetarianism, or more often, lecture me on the health dangers of eating meat.
Sometimes he’d say things like, “One day we’re going to think of meat the same way we think of cigarettes. There’s going to be sold in the 18+ section with warning labels all over them.”
At the time I though little of it, and would humor him by nodding with eyes glazed over. Little did I know his words were squirreling their way into my mind. His nagging motherly ways finally got to me.
Other small factors: many of my workmates and other friends are vegetarian and in eating with them I was introduced to a lot of yummy vegetarian dishes. And now that I’m cooking for myself more, meat dishes is more expensive.
In activism, it’s not uncommon to face the question, “but don’t you think this is all a waste of time? People won’t listen. Or they’ll listen, but they won’t actually change.” I like to remind people:
1. You don’t know what impact your words or actions might have. Just as I, at the time, seemed pretty unresponsive to my vegetarian friend’s lecturing, with much persistence he eventually wore me down.
2. You are one drop, of a large tidal wave. My friend alone probably wouldn’t have converted me into vegetarianism, but together the multitudes of influences did.
Read part two of this post: The chopstick dilemma: disposable vs. reuseable, bamboo vs. plastic
Conversations about the woes – the many woes – of the world often end with a throwing up of the hands, a sigh, and a “it’s just all too difficult”, or perhaps a “nothing’s going to change.”
To that I’ve always had a one-word counter argument. Feminism.
We’re by no means living in a post-sexist world, but one cannot deny that if you look back at history, amazing, great strides have been made in regards to women’s rights. In another era, as a woman, I couldn’t own property, I couldn’t vote, I might not have even been able to choose who I wanted to marry.
Women’s rights happened slowly. It was not one singular cause, movement or leader that did it – it was many small battles fought and won over many, many years. It was a multitude of things, seen and unseen. And it required faith that the fight was worth fighting, and that in the end justice would prevail. Even if that justice was unseen – even unseen in one’s own lifetime.
And that is what is required of anyone working for or making difficult choices in the name of a better world. An ability to be satisfied with small wins, and a large degree of faith that the bigger war is heading the right direction.
As Emily and I brainstorm about what to do with Lane Change, I wanted to sit down and really analyze what an individual can do, to bring about positive change. Here’s what I have. Please send in anything you feel I might have left off:
1. In work
Every single person has an opportunity to change the world through the paid work they do. Of course some people will have more opportunities than others. For example, politicians have the power to bring in laws that will radically change the way society operates. The CEOs of major multinationals can transform industries, industry practices, and wipe out or preserve acres of forests, oceans, rivers and mountains with one flick of their hand.
The work and ideas of economists, engineers, scientists, researchers, lawyers, teachers, artists, designers and journalists too have a disproportionately large influence on society. And that influence is a responsibility to civil society and the green earth.
But really, all business owners have the power to change – through the support of certain industry initiatives, or by trying to include (or even better, make central) certain practices and ideas.
And as an employee you can pick who you choose to work for – does the work your company do, and the way in which they do it, align with your values? Remember, working for someone is a form of support!
No matter what your industry, you have a chance to be creative. Creativity is just about new ideas, or new ways of doing things. Don’t accept the status quo. Make an impact by doing something better, and differently.
2. Support, join or start an NGO
There are a million non-profit organizations, charities, lobby and activist groups, unions, co-ops and movements who want you involved. What do they want?
- Your time. Volunteer or participate in actions!
- Your money. Donate!
- Your influence. Can your company align/partner/sponsor?
- Your public support. Spread the word!
3. Vote
Despite the gargantuan power that the corporate sector has in our society, the democratic political system is still one of the best (and few) ways that citizens can have their say. Politics is only weak when we choose not to participate in it – one of those chicken-and-the-egg dilemmas. Luckily it also means the more we exercise our political voice, the stronger our political power becomes.
So:
- Write or e-mail your local representative.
- Join a party, and volunteer your time.
- Vote. On behalf of society, for a better future, and for the earth.
4. Make individual changes
Much like your vote in the political system, your purchases act like a “vote” in the corporate sector. By taking into account certain dimensions – not just aesthetics, or good design – but also green design, energy efficiency, consideration of working conditions etc. – you are sending to the corporate world a message of support in regards to certain design, editorial and production choices.
Likewise, choosing to bike instead of ride a car, or consuming less, or altering other aspects of your life, not only contributes to a system of supply and demand, you’re also sending a message to those around you about what kind of life we should be living.
That said, I’m hesitant to emphasize this point because too much emphasis is placed on this already. Individual choices, though important, are not enough alone. They are only effective when working in conjunction with the other points. In fact, I often find them more useful as a form of “daily inspiration”.
5. Express yourself
Don’t be afraid to speak up and tell people what you believe in (that said, gentle persuasion usually beats obstinate hectoring.) You never know what effect it will have. Write, make art, make music, make films and videos. Tweet it, Facebook it. Share the work of other people who you feel have said it better than you could have.
Image (cc) Glenn Waters
OK, wtf fuck am I talking about? Its like this. If you try to become someone else, or lead your life according to someone else’s ideals the best you can hope for is adoption or influence, although its unlikely to fit well, and you’ll probably fall back into your old ways.
That person is the way they are, or thinks the way they do, because time and experience and natural thought processes have made them that way, or have led them that direction. So their personality or morals or beliefs is inherent to them – they can’t be anything else because that is them. Just like you.
Get it?
