Humans are irrational. This is something I have known and even liked about the human condition; our irrationality makes life unpredictable, and there are things about others and even ourselves that evade logical explanation. This can be fascinating; irrationality adds an uncertainty to our lives that can be charming. It can, however, also lead us to developing destructive habits, where we become irrationally comfortable doing things that hurt us – and the habit defies the logical need to change these destructive tendencies.
This phenomenon manifests itself in so many ways – from people comparing themselves unhealthily to others to people dwelling on problems without being able to approach them positively. While irrational emotional responses are common all around us, I would like to discuss today a far-reaching irrationality that I believe is overlooked albeit important – our irrational approach to the environment. There is so much we do that adds to environmental destruction, from using red plastic cups to leaving the light on when we leave a room. The green movement still represents a minority viewpoint, and I question constantly why it remains that way when the risks are so significant.
I recently spoke with someone named Terry, a tall, bear-like man whom I shared a house with last year. In a game where we took turns asking one another random questions, I happened to ask, “Terry, what is your favorite kind of pizza and do you feel responsible for the environment?”
Non-sequiturs aside, Terry said something of infinite wisdom.
“The way the world is, things will not keep working for long,” Terry said, ignoring my question about the pizza. He furrowed his brow. Had this been a film about old sages in the time of Jesus, Terry’s bear-like look of seriousness would have glowed to the rhythmic strains of a lute.
“Something,” Terry continued, “has to give.”
And it is true. The existence of environmental destruction makes me angry about how we as consumers act irresponsibly. Despite all rational indicators than we should increase conservation, we cannot. Certainly, so much of the problem is systemic. Look at the United States, for example: the failure that is its public transport system, the spread-out nature of cities, the built-in consumer culture. From these discrete pieces of evidence, one can understand how environmental exploitation becomes a necessity, and how developing environmental consciousness becomes difficult.
Personally, I despair at these systemic problems. They suggest that a top-down change is necessary, and emphasize the powerlessness of individual impact. It causes us to think of the short-term, insurmountable difficulties of confronting the environmental problem. In the short-run, these difficulties are high while the costs are low. What we lack, however, is the ability to look rationally into the long-run, where net outcomes are bound to be terrible for most of the world if we do not change our current habits.
Individuals bonding together, however, can begin to change a system. In the past few weeks, I have talked to various people impassioned by the need for environmental change, and who are working to change the way institutions work. Students for a Sustainable Stanford, for example, is petitioning to widen our GER options to include one on sustainability. Stanford Student Enterprises is trying to collect discarded items at the end of the year, putting them together in a rummage sale for next year’s students. The Stanford Farm Project is trying to promote local food growing on the Stanford campus and raise awareness about food production.
What makes me feel even more hopeful is the fact that environmental consciousness can be mobilized into action outside these environmental-themed organizations. Last weekend, refreshing Facebook in a fit of rabid procrastination, I received a message informing me that Theta Delt was using recyclable cups for their Friday party. In that second, my heart swelled with pride – not only was there going to be a party named after a fake dinosaur on campus, it was going to be a party more ecological than most.
The few changes I witness around me make me feel motivated to change my own behavior patterns. I recycle more, eat less meat and shop less. This, however, is far from a conclusion; I am just beginning to open a can of worms, and learning about shifting individual action to a group- or system-level change to better the environmental state. How can one fix global myopia when it comes to environmental action? How can we make people act more rationally and responsibly? These are questions that I am just beginning to muddle through, and wondering if you could answer.
Basically, Sam would love to hear your opinion. Email her at [email protected].