When we consider environmental activism or remedies to environmental preservation, we think of going green. Like sustainable lifestyle options, like recycling, or riding a bicycle rather than driving the car.
We think of environmental organizations as being nonprofit, and following an environmental mission, raising money and taking some type of political or grassroots action.
In the business world, we think of environmental action as making the business green. Producing products using environmentally sustainable methods and materials.
All these activities for environmental sustainability are great and should be applauded.
There are other avenues for global and local large scale environmental actions.
One
When profit and income have involved the capacity to get people to do it increases exponentially. One of the big reasons there are so little environmental discussion and action being taken by the majority of people is because they believe they do not have any time or energy after working in their job. Making a living is essential to all most everyone. It takes up a big part of our daily lives, especially if our income comes from work which requires 40 hours or more a week.
When there was an avenue for people to place all this time and energy into an income/profit producing business. A business with a main purpose and outcome that creates promotes and supports environmental sustainability, then more people would do it.
There are very clear financial options for environmental sustainability. Considering the destruction of the environment is mainly being due to the pursuit of gain, it seems sensible to suggest the preservation of the environment may also be accomplished when profit and income are available to individuals.
Let’s imagine a business that produces a line of goods which are completely chemical free and have no environmentally damaging components or consequences, the business is vested in a vision and mission to make environmental sustainability. They supply a distribution system which allows ordinary people with moderate ways to participate. These people are able to supplement their job income, make a full-time living, or if they have the desire and work hard they are even able to make an unlimited amount of income.
In the process of managing their business, they also adopt an environmentally sustainable personal lifestyle and model it to all their friends, family and acquaintances.
When people are engaged in making a living doing something they believe in, something which is larger than themselves and enables them to make a difference for the world and humanity they’ll work harder. They’ll create an unstoppable passion for their businesses vision and mission.
Hardly any individuals develop a serious enthusiasm for their job. In reality, they’re awaiting the day they can retire and stop visiting their job. They aren’t fully building toward their own dreams and vision for the future functioning in a job they do not love. They are building their companies dream and future.
After the company that you work for isn’t contributing to an environmentally favorable future then the organization isn’t contributing to yours or your families favorable sustainable future.
To summarize, I feel that for massive environmental actions to happen on a grassroots level, one of two situations will need to take place.
Either people will find ways to produce an income by means of a job at a really green company, they will have their own independent green business or partner under the umbrella of a business that’s really green. In any event, they’ll be embracing a sustainable income and lifestyle that leads directly to global environmental sustainability.
Another scenario that will propel individuals to action is going to be the consequences of doing nothing. When their immediate day to day lives are disrupted and they finally see what the consequences of no environmental actions are, then people will put out the energy, time and activity regardless of the absence of revenue or profit. Unfortunately, it could be too late at that stage to prevent the tipping points of no return.
It’s all about economics, while it’s about an individual and personal level or on a large corporate business degree. Income and gain would be the driving force for both environmental preservation and destruction.
We can each pick a vision for the future and act on it.