The Higher Pathway
to More Resilient Lifestyles and Communities
Written by Supat Kuanpradit
There have been many global natural disasters occurred over the last decades. Such as the crumbling of the sea ice in the Arctic that has effected people all over the world, the more frequent and intense earthquakes, Tsunamis, the increasing storm damage, for instance, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, USA in 2005, the Honduras Hurricane in 1998, flooding, wildfires, etc.
These are just a very few examples of what has happened on our planet. John Doerr (Video available on TED.com, Sees Salvation and Profit in Greentech, 2007) quoted Eugene Kleiner saying “There is a time when panic is an appropriate response.” And I think we have reached that time, when nature is starting to imitate what we have seen in the movies and it is getting to be more and more intense. Furthermore, scientists say that the global warming crisis has been caused mostly by the unconscious-behavior of human beings.However, I strongly agree with Jamais Cascio (Video available on TED.com, tools for a better world, 2006) who mentioned that “The successional responses to the world problem are more or less possible. Moreover, focusing on the negative outcomes can really blind you to the possibilities to the success.” And this is the point where the sustainable solutions are, because now it is not a time to blame anyone who created these problems. And if we look at all these approaches as a big picture, I think we will realize that it is not just time to focus on what consequences have occurred on our planet, but it is time to unify all individuals and assemblages in each society and determinedly solve these problems. However, the question is how can we solve these problems at the first place and create sustainable solutions to the society simultaneously?
It is the new generation in the next ten years who will be making decisions or not that leads our civilization into a higher pathway of the solutions. In my opinion, if all communities would unify and determinedly solve these problems, there would definitely be possibilities leading to success. In creating greener and rehabilitated environments, universities and students should follow these approaches;
1) Develop environmentalists
Firstly, establish sustainable-environmental faith in people in every social level, focusing on the youth; the new generation of the society. This faith is the determination of maintaining and augmenting all natural resources through the recognition of sustainable environmental values and the consequences of unconscious-behavior towards our life and the world. Make society realize it and be determined to make a difference.
In addition, I truly believe that if we want to sustainably establish environmental faith in someone, we should start doing it since he/she is a child. Then we need to sustain this environmental faith without exception and lead the child until he/she is grown up and truly understands and values this faith. Then that person will live his/her life without declining this resilient lifestyle and will be resolute to promote the significance of being responsible to the communities and to the world. Emotionally, that person will be willing to do all these things him/herself, that we might call ‘being a sustainable environmentalists’.
2) Establish effective tools for the country and create supporting activities for the communities
Jamais Cascio (Video available on TED.com, tools for a better world, 2006) declared that “It seems that the Global Warming crisis can never be instantly solved and the truth is that we cannot build another better world, and we cannot do so right now, but we have the majority of models, tools, and ideas; we have the knowledge and the understanding of our planet, most importantly we have motives and the world that need fixing and nobody is going to do it for us.”
In order to establish effective tools for the country, I believe that in developing worlds, for example; Thailand, we may use those models, tools, and emerging ideas, which should not be too difficult and unaffordable in investing and constructing, and it should be widely adopted in the country. There are many of those ideas available online provided by mostly Americans and Europeans in the developed world, there are effective ideas available on worldchanging.com, for example.
2.1) Support more governmental green policies
In developing countries, people’s consumption is increasingly growing. The rapid growth and unplanned consumption will lead to more environmental problems. However, I think in this part the government should construct more green-mass transportation systems. Make it comfortable and affordable to the public in order to decrease wasted-private consumption.
In this topic not only transportation is included, but also all infrastructures, second-superpower system, public-welfare and much more. The government could seriously enact the environment-preservation laws and leave no space for those who have been greedily and unconsciously destroying natural resources.
Moreover, the government could emphasize on expanding green areas, saving forests, afforesting all uninhabited areas, and preserving forests which should be preserved, for example. Apart from these policies, there are still many more approaches that the government can provide to the country.2.2) Encourage more green projects and activities in the society
Universities and students in Thailand, uniting as one would play these important roles in empowering people, personally and collectively, by organizing environmental campaigns focused on these two initiatives;
- Reduce CO2 emission into the atmosphere
- Support CO2 levels reduction methods
2.2.1) In the private sector
Universities and students could encourage the private sector to use energy efficient electronics in their workplace such as Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL), in order to reduce CO2 release into the atmosphere. Moreover, they could build up their brand recognition as environmental care organizations, not only create an external image, but also create the assurance of accountability from within organizations.In supporting CO2 levels reduction methods, the private sector could follow Alex Steffen’s ‘Green Roof’ project, for example. (Sees a Sustainable Future on TED.com) This idea could increase the green areas in the city, which are full of skyscrapers, crowds of people, and pollution.
In fact, as mentioned that one of the most significant strategies is to encourage the youth to undertake these activities and nurture them by instilling a sustainable-environmental faith. Allow them to grow up with love and respect for nature, and sense of social responsibility. Moreover, all sectors of society should give support and invariably participate in these activities when organized.
Universities and students could organize environmental campaigns. They could reforest all uninhabited areas, some preserving forests, which might have been destroyed, etc. All individuals and groups should participate in these campaigns.
Universities and students could create an Indoor Gardening campaign. All unusable land of every house in the country should be planted with various species of trees, crops and flowers with everybody’s effort. In addition, this method not only has advantages on the CO2 reduction, but also happiness and relaxation in everyday life.
Furthermore, another idea by Alex Steffen and his team is the city car-share. This idea can possibly reduce some amount of CO2 emitted from the burning of fuel by individual consumption. Moreover, this is also the process of strengthening people’s relationships and making the city a better place to live in. Apart from these ideas, there are still many beneficial and effective ideas for developing countries, like Thailand and others available on worldchanging.com
Even though we have enormous tools that may help us to save our world, but if there is a lack of attention, then the success will never reach its point. So we need to use other tools we have, for instance, the technology; social network, including mass-media communication; advertising through television & radio broadcasting, organizing some green events by both virtual and face-to-face conference. I believe all these tools, models, and ideas can effectively help us solve problems.
After the Industrial Revolution period, the world becomes more consumer-oriented. Here, there are both advantages and shortcomings. I believe all of us already know what the advantages are such as the rapid improvement of technology, which provides for a more convenient and comfortable lifestyle. However, one of the disadvantages is the growth of materialism. People value outer material thing more than they value the true person inside.
Additionally, in Buddhism we consider that the planet is composed of three components; the earth (includes only non-living thing; mountain, land, ocean, etc.), organisms (human beings, animals), and organisms’ emotions within ones’ selves (especially, most powerful source is that humankind’s emotions), and there are several links between these three components.
For instance, if there are some natural disasters occur on earth such as earthquakes, flooding, storms, the climate that turns to be too hot or too cold, etc., the question is whether these things have any impacts on organisms? The answer is “Yes! Of course”. Then, how about the impact on our mind? Well, yes again. Because we may feel upset sometimes, when the weather is too hot, or sometimes too cold. However, the point is that any changes from humankind’s emotions, or our mind, also have some effects on the earth as well.
In fact, unfortunately, there are a lot of cases of inappropriate CO2 release nowadays, just because of few people produce it without thinking of its consequences to the planet. Here, let me share with you true stories which happened in preserved forest area, where covers more than 22,000 kilometers2 in the North of Thailand.
Firstly, according to the official forest staff message, (Protect the Earth from Global Warming Crisis, 2009, available in Thai language) during summer, 90% of the forests are burned by fire started by a few villagers' own hands. They said they did it because of some mushroom harvests. After the forests were burned and the rain had fallen, then a large amount of mushrooms would sprout. Unfortunately, they set fire to the whole forest, just for some mushroom harvests! The farmers thought about the income they would earn from mushroom sales without considering its impact of CO2 emission that had been released into the atmosphere, or about its impact on the earth.
In another case, in the central plain of Thailand, some groups of farmers also set fire to a preserved plain, because grass for their oxen. Their unconscious action had unimaginable impacts, both by increasing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and worse than that is the diminishing green area that would help to transform CO2, but it would not. Apart from these two cases, there are a lot of other examples of destroying the environment.
Considering follow this two cases, we may think that if we let people behave with negligence and unconsciousness, who only think about their own benefits and carelessly have little thought about community at large, it will affect the earth immensely and intensely, especially when the effects from these individuals are combined, the final impact would be more than immense for sure.
However, if all individuals start to better their mind and consciousness by thinking that how we can save our world from this crisis. Rather than to damage it, maybe, by reforestation, or even creating indoor gardens in our own homes, if every house does the same thing, it will help save the earth.
Another example, in Japan during its fast economic development, the environment was heavily destroyed, by its own people who released too much mercury into the water at a village named Minamata, Itai Itai. The fish were then contaminated by the mercury, and then people ate those fish, and were poisoned by mercury. Word ‘itai-itai’ means ‘hurt/be in pain’, because when the wind blows towards people poisoned by mercury, they weep because of the unbearable pain and eventually die.
After enduring many problems caused by environmental damage which affected the health of the Japanese, they realized that they could not let these problems go on anymore. They unified and developed campaigns to rehabilitating environment; turning the island, all the country green by growing trees, setting restrictions on the pollution of water/air/toxic, for example. The Japanese realized that their greatest national priority is not only economic development, but also the environmental protection and developing consciousness within individuals’ mind at the same time.
According to the “Turning Point” by Dr. Fritjof Capra (1982), “By developing our capacity for abstract thinking at such a rapid pace, we seem to have lost the important ability to ritualize social conflicts… But the evolution of consciousness gives us the potential to live peacefully and in harmony with the natural world in the future… We can consciously alter our behavior by changing our values and attributes to regain the spirituality and ecological awareness we have lost.”
Consequently, the final answer on how to create sustainable solutions to the society is to better all individuals’ emotions, people’s mind. There is nothing wrong with consumerism and technology, which improves the lives of man. However, at the same time, we should not forget our awareness. The best alternative is the moderate and sustainable consumption.
H.G. Wells once said that “All of the past is but the beginning of a beginning; all that the human mind has accomplished is but the dream before the awakening.” The dream that I dare to dream, and I think the ultimate significant issue is that, which method is the most stabilized and effective to ritualize all individuals’ emotionalism? A METHOD, which is environmentally sustainable, which is universal; shared by everyone on the planet, which promotes stability and democracy and human rights, and which is achievable in the time flare necessary to make it through the challenges we have faced recently.
Finally, When people in all societies get united. All miracles are possible. And unity is the most powerful tool that can make any differece. Together we can and we are going to do it. Even some people say it’s unrealistic, idealistic, that it can’t happen. Remember, people created it. And we’re people too. So let’s create something new.
Reference
- Cascio, Jamais. Tools for a Better World. Video on TED.com, 2006 (Online). Available: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jamais_cascio_looks_ahead.html
- Dhammakaya Foundation. Global Warming. Online TV. In Thai language. Available:
http://www.dmc.tv/mmdownload.php?file=/world-dhamma/500708.wmv
- Dhammakaya Foundation. Protect the Earth from Global Warming Crisis. Online TV. In Thai language. Available: http://www.dmc.tv/mmdownload.php?file=/world-dhamma/510420.wmv
- Dhammakaya Foundation. Turning Point of the Century. Online TV. Online TV. In Thai language. Available: http://www.dmc.tv/mmdownload.php?file=/world-dhamma/510907.wmv
- Doerr, John. Salvation and Profit in Greentech. Video on TED.com, 2007 (Online). Available: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/john_doerr_sees_salvation_and_profit_in_greentech.html
- Dr.Capra, Fritjof. The Turning Point. Southern Winter of 1996, 1982 (Online). Available: http://www.mountainman.com.au/capra_4.html
- Gore, Al. An Inconvenience Truth. Available As: audio-visual material, 2005
Leonard, Annie. Story Of Stuff, Referenced and Annotated Script. (Online). Available: http://www.storyofstuff.com
- Steffen, Alex. Sees a Sustainable Future. Video on TED.com, 2005 (Online). Available: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/alex_steffen_sees_a_sustainable_future.html
