"I take infinite pains to know all the phenomena of the spring for instance, thinking that I have here the entire poem, and then, to my chagrin, I hear that it is but an imperfect copy that I possess and have read, that my ancestors have torn out many of the first leaves and grandest passages, and mutilated it in many places. I should not like to think that some demigod had come before and picked out some of the best of the stars. I wish to know an entire heaven and an entire earth."

Henry David Thoreau

Journals, March 23, 1856

Thursday, October 7, 2010

"How big brands can help save biodiversity"

TED talk by Jason clay - "How big brands can help save biodiversity:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jason_clay_how_big_brands_can_save_biodiversity.html

I find particularly interesting his reasoning on the fact that it is easier and much faster to directly work with companies instead of with the consumers while trying to move to more sustainability. It definitely seems more effective than trying to inform consumers to the point that they will be motivated to act upon their awareness of environmental issues. I would also tend to agree with his vision that sustainability needs to be a "precompetitive issue"; in that way the consumer will only be left with the right choice to make!

In a similar way, at my previous university I was involved in trying to ban disposable cups from the cafeterias and thus force people to bring their personal reusable mugs which they had been offered by the university as a welcome gift. We were only able to compromise on a discount incentive but I felt that our goal of reducing waste production on the campus would have been so much efficient had there been a ban.

I don't know about you, but I found the talk pretty uplifting, especially when he dresses out his group's achievements. I know some people might be cynical about it and say that the companies have just signed a paper and they actually act upon it, but I prefer to be optimistic!

No comments:

Post a Comment