Comments for IUB Summer Sustainability Program

Comment on Gender & Sustainability by isabelestevez

isabelestevez — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:12:43 +0000

Thanks for a very thought-provoking post.
The first time I heard about pharmaceutical companies patenting rainforest plants many years ago, I thought it was a joke, but reflecting upon the ways in which we tend to treat natural resources it became less and less surprising (though no less absurd). The insurmountable obstacle seems to be that we are so accustomed to a way of life that is based on the capitalization of resources that we can’t muster the collective moral will or discipline to transition into a more “respectful” relationship with nature on our own free will. Many think that, given this reality, our best bet is to correct the market in a way that will create powerful incentives for environmental stewardship. Right now corporations are taking into account environmental considerations to the extent that doing so will increase efficiency and, therefore, increase profitability. Many are beginning to control carbon emissions in anticipation of a carbon tax. However, it is unlikely that anyone will take substantive steps towards sustainable practices unless there is profit to be made in the process…or meaningful government intervention. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the government is even capable of instituting the necessary regulations to ensure a sustainable future. Legislators are, after all, guided by the often short-sighted wishes of their constituents. A prime example is the gas situation: whereas we should probably be pushing for gas taxes, the public is by and large crying out for price-controls. For most politicians, pushing a gas tax at this point in time would be tantamount to committing political suicide. So, in many ways, the political machine is perpetually sabotaged by a dominant public refusal to make necessary sacrifices. As far as technological development is concerned, it does seem likely that we will continue to come up with clever contraptions that will enable us to perpetuate our way of life, making few concessions (at least for a little while longer). If future scientific innovations enable us to circumvent the necessity to care for natural resources, we will likely continue to neglect them. The behavioral trend of our species suggests that we are not keen to care for resources unless they are directly useful to us and unless they are in such grave danger that the terrifying prospect of being deprived of them slaps us in the face and forces us to take action. If only we could find a way to give ourselves a big collective slap, we might get somewhere.

Comment on Gender & Sustainability by aditya

aditya — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:43:46 +0000

Recently Wal-Mart got a lot of praise for its sustainability initiatives. But there was also a lot of criticism because of its gender equality issues. I don’t understand how the two are related. What do you think?

Comment on Going green, corporate style by aditya

aditya — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:52:13 +0000

I have been reading a lot of blogs what can be done stay sustainable at an individual level. But personally I feel, it is companies as a whole that can bring about a significant difference. We at Mahindra have launched a corporate blog (mahindrauniverse.com) where we discuss our initiatives towards sustainability. I would like to get your views on it.

Comment on Holy (plastic) cow by isabelestevez

isabelestevez — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:58:19 +0000

The “Sea of Trash” post (June 22) gives us some idea of what happens to the bottles…

Comment on “Sea of Trash” New York Times article by Donovan Hohn by Cats r Flyfishn

Cats r Flyfishn — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:08:58 +0000

Wow, great article. People don’t realize how much plastic and other junk end up in our oceans. I’m going to add a link to your blog on my home page.

Comment on Getting to Griffy by Isabel Estevez

Isabel Estevez — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:40:02 +0000

We should make the next social a hike at Griffy!

Comment on Greening the Grocery Store by Isabel Estevez

Isabel Estevez — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:09:54 +0000

Do we know any artists? It might be a cool project for an art student to design bags for RPS. It might also make them more enticing to students if they have neat designs.

Comment on Greening the Grocery Store by Dave Roedl

Dave Roedl — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:37:18 +0000

Cool ideas. I wonder what kinds of similar initiatives could be implemented in campus c-stores?

Plastic bags seem like a particularly wasteful area that could be improved by providing and encouraging reusable alternatives. Perhaps RPS could create and market their own canvas bags similar to what they did with the ‘go green’ bottles? Maybe the bags could be given out at orientation to hold all the orientation material and students could be encouraged to use them when buying books also.