Not too long ago, the European Union pledged to enforce trade restrictions on countries that do not comply with their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gasses and help to prevent climate change and global warming. Many hoped that America would have been the leader in this endeavor and taken the first step toward environmental sustainability. However, our mentality as a nation too often prizes our "freedom" to impose limitations. Especially given the fact that many of America's most prosperous corporate entities will suffer if we seek to protect the environment, it is safe to say that our government will not lead us in this endeavor of global advocacy. So it is up to the individuals, the people upon which this country is based, to step up to the plate and be the change we wish to see in our country and our world.
Instead of waiting for government to mandate that large corporations need to make the changes that will reduce pollution and implement sustainable practices, it is up to us to seek out and educate one another on actionable changes that people can make today which will effect our collective global footprint. One of those changes is the business we engage in and the products we use.
Believe it or not, global corporations are not at fault for our current situation. They are entities which we created to do our bidding and are not the cause of our ecological woes. They are merely one of the avenues through which it has been delivered. We created businesses and we created their policies. Whether the policies are good or bad, they are a construct of mankind's imagination. If they are causing a blight on the future of this planet and polluting the environment, it is our oversight in planning that has caused the devastation, not the business itself.
A business is something we create, and aside from its lack of visual aesthetic beauty, it is a work of art. From the service delivery paradigm to the material production model, businesses are truly fascinating machines that create jobs, wealth, supply, and security. However, they also often create the by-products of servanthood, poverty, need, and pollution. Just as a beautiful painting can elicit hope and delight, it can also elicit longing and despair. However, it is not the painting that is to blame for the emotions it elicits, and it is not the business that is to blame for the part it plays in the human condition. But in each situation, it is the people who are involved who must take responsibility for the action of the creation. Just as art needs both the artist and the witness to be appreciated, each business consists not only of the supplier, but of the consumer as well. And that is where we need to consciously accept our roles.
At this stage in the game, we must look again at the machines that we have created in our gallery of capitalism. We must consider the by-products of the businesses we are using and the products we are consuming. We must weigh the differences between what we truly need and the sacrifices which are being made for us to attain it. It is time for us to be conscious consumers.
Over the last few decades our government, which was once hailed as an entity "Of the People, By the People, and For the People," has become largely reclaimed as an entity "Of the Corporation, By the Corporation, and For the Corporation." We are firmly grounded in the concept of Capitalism and the Free Market so this transfer of power should be of no great surprise. Nevertheless, though an added integer may have been added into the mix, the American people can once again take control of our government. If the government is to be run by corporations, then we must make our votes heard at the cash register.
Given the climate of competition in our society, for almost every product or service that we use, there is an alternative. Additionally, with the rapid growth of green initiatives, we are seeing a great rise in businesses that are providing sustainable alternatives. By changing our buying practices to include more local, fair trade, and eco-conscious businesses, we can make our voices heard as to which way we think our government and our economy should operate.
We are at in an extremely fortuitous situation where information is readily attained should we only have the impetus to look for it. If the European Union can enforce trade restrictions on countries that don't comply with their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gasses and help to prevent climate change and global warming, then the American people can do the same.
In addition to serving as Managing Editor and contributor to Modern Hippie Mag, Steve McAllister is an actor, musician, accomplished author, filmmaker, and the man behind Your Daily Groove. In addition to his books "Descent" and "The Rucksack Letters," his most recent book "The McAllister Code" is a modern day allegory combining science fiction and personal growth. (Article from ezinearticles.com) |
