Hello Friends,

In the next set of articles we will be looking at an interesting topic which is an extension of the classic definition of sustainability. In this artile I would like to present a thought experience - based on some analysis I have engaged in. I encourage you to read the arguments and analysis presented below and comment with your own opinion because that is the way in which we can achieve a successful and correct youth perspective. 

When we consider sustainability we often times lose sight of exactly what we are trying to accomplish. One of the foremost causes of the lack of globally employed wide scale sustainability initiatives is inconvenience. Often times green living is associated with less comfort and convenience. And let?s face it, climate change as of now is an issue which does not directly cause inconvenience to a large majority. Hence, people are reluctant to give up their convenience in order to combat a cause which as of now does not cause any inconvenience. This is a mentality which is very prevalent in day to day life for the common person. While it is important to discuss what measures must be taken to support the efforts of policy makers and legislators to enforce greener policies in their respective nations, states or provinces, it is perhaps equally important in order to consider the efforts which must be made in order to convince the common person – the average citizen to live in a greener way.

So, over the past few months I have spent some time with other young and very bright minds from across Canada considering the problem and discovered the true depths to which it exists. And subsequent we have taken the next steps in order to perhaps combat this. Over the last summer, I had the pleasure of attending the Shad Valley International Summer Enrichment Program. This program attempting to fuse together the worlds of STEM, social responsibility and business taught us meaningful and multipurpose innovation. What do I mean by this? I mean it taught us to innovate to solve social problems using STEM in a way which benefits individuals, business and economies. These type of innovations are often those which attract the attention of individuals, governments, business and non-profits – creating a comprehensive and united effort to drive change. So, at this program this way of thinking was combined with an environmentally related project – only fitting as model of thought suits the problem of climate change very well.

The prompt we were given for our project was one which prompted a long journey of thought and analysis for me and other similar minded youth around me. The prompt was related to how we can live more luxuriously while using less resources per capita. This is something which, if we can find a real solution to, can resolve the major issue of the compromise between convenience and green living. This in turn can turn the tide on how much the common person embraces green living.

Just imagine?a product which is a result of innovation, which is able to offer convenient living while reducing the environmental footprint of its user. Now that is a type of product which would interest business, governments and non-profits all at once. However what most people don?t understand is that such products already exist. And there is room for growth. If properly approached, the combined innovation and marketing power of business, governments and non-profits could cause these types of products to come into the limelight.

What exactly do I mean by this? Well, it takes a bit of analysis to come to a reasonable conclusion which I came to a few months ago. If someone, as an individual who is concerned about the environment, has an idea which fits the framework of increasing convenience and decreasing environmental impact, then this idea is a very valuable one. The development of this idea a unique set stakeholders which include government, corporations and non-profits – all supporting the development of this idea. Hence, this idea is more likely to succeed in becoming financially and socially viable. Through innovation and marketing powers of these stakeholders, these ideas can become reality – achieving their purpose of breaking the apparent paradox between sustainability and comforts.

Hence the purpose of this article – was to introduce the problem of this green living paradox, outline a solution, outline the thought and analysis process which must be implemented to arrive at this solution and finally illustrate a possible outline of the progress of a solution in our society. Though highly analytical and perhaps a little vague in nature, this type of problems are often solved through careful analysis and planning – often planning the outcomes of a solution before it is introduced. The solution to the global lack of green living problem can be solved only when the solution is able to break the sustainability vs. comforts paradox and as demonstrated such a solution would be the best way to succeed in solving the problem through uniting various parties in order to bring true change into the lives of the common man.

If you have any questions/comments related to this article please feel free to ask or comment below.

Thank you,

Nitish Bhatt