I was invited to a PTA meeting recently to urge the parents and teachers toward greater sustainability in their school in Haddonfield, NJ. Here’s the little address I gave…
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What is Sustainability and Why Should I Care?
A short talk for your PTA
The general definition for sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of our generation without compromising the needs of those in the future.
I say it’s about the Golden Rule, do unto others as you’d have them do. Basic values.
So, what do you truly care about? When you get right down to the basics, when you strip away the non-essentials? What will you care about, for instance, when you are on your death-bed? These are the things you most value. For most people they are quality time spent with those you love or time in nature, times when everyone and everything is healthy. You may value the freedom from suffering and wish for others to not have to suffer needlessly. You may think about the things that someone did to help you or things you did in service of others that made you feel good. You may think about moments when you experienced beauty or a sense of harmony with your community or the world around you.
Your values are the things that should be at the core of your decisions throughout your life. And if they are indeed these things that I mentioned, then they have everything to do with sustainability.
If you care about people, you’ll not want them to be exposed to toxic chemicals, either from products or from the land fill, that may give them cancer, infertility and other immune-related diseases. You won’t want them to be harmed by industry that destroys the very resources that people depend upon – or be poisoned by the pollution from manufacturing processes. You wouldn’t want them to be drinking tap water that can be set afire with a lighter. If you care about animals, you’ll care about those that are being treated inhumanely and those diseased from being forced to eat foods unnatural to them. If you care about the beauty of the landscape and wildlife, you’ll not want to see vast tracks of land leveled for mining, drilling, crops and excessive development.
I’m not telling you this because I think you don’t know it. I’m bringing it up because I want you to think more about it – and think about how you can enhance your life with your values. I want to encourage you to be mindful of your values and work together to make changes here and at home to improve your kids’ lives. But not just that – I also want to emphasize the need to model behaviors that carry your values.
A couple months ago, I was at a tri-county sustainability event held in Blackwood, NJ. One of the few teenagers attending had a moment to speak up. He was dubious. Kevin asked the crowd something like, “how many of you are interested in actually making the world better for your kids?” He was concerned that in all the rush to follow the money by ‘being green’, that society is overlooking the whole point – the love for the earth, for others and for our children.
Kids aren’t stupid. They all may not be as articulate or bold as Kevin but they absorb the information around them. What you do proves what your values are – and they get it. If you act like you care, they might care. If you don’t show that you care, they likely will feel like caring is futile. And that usually extends to all of their actions.
So, that being said, let’s talk about the basics. Here are the three R’s of sustainability and ecology:
1. Reduce – Assess needs and use (or purchase) only what is necessary.
General conservation. This relates to all sorts of consumption – energy, water, manufactured goods, household products and general materials. It extends beyond your home, classroom, and office, too. By supporting businesses and organizations that also practice conservation, you are ‘voting with your dollars’ and creating a ripple effect of change outside your door.
2. Reuse – Find an alternative use for extra materials.
Before you discard something, consider what it could be used for, either in your classroom, home or for someone else. Donating items and holding yard sales are a great way for others to benefit from what you no longer need, too, in addition to the manufacturing energy, carbon and materials you’re saving from someone buying a new product. And, the longer you can keep something useful from a premature trip to the landfill, the better.
3. Recycle or Recover – Transform materials into new products, including material already discarded – such as making fuel from waste materials.
You know the basics of this and chances are you’re recycling at home. If there’s something you’re not sure you can recycle, contact your local borough or check out earth911.org. Push to get a comprehensive recycling system in place at your work and anywhere where you have an influence. You can ask businesses you support to also recycle regularly or take your business to those who do.
I’d encourage a 4th R – that is ‘Rethink.’ It’s necessary to rethink what we do so we can use innovation and creativity to make a big impact. Over and over again, those making money from polluting and poisoning people argue that the economy will collapse without their products or that our jobs depend on them. I’d like to think that we have a better understanding of what our country is build on – innovation and inspiration. New ideas create new jobs and services and whatever practice we end that hurts our kids and environment will be replaced soon enough by something better.
Besides, rethinking is a more fun and satisfying way to live.
Here are five very basic things we can do anywhere we live or work:
- Set up recycling bins wherever it’s appropriate and recycle accordingly.
- Printing: Reduce the amount of paper you print on and the amount of ink you use. Use 100% recycled paper, print on both sides of paper (save paper that is printed on one side only), use light printer settings and economical fonts (or print smaller whenever possible).
- Conserve electricity by using lights only when and where needed and use CFL bulbs. Also, dress appropriately for the weather and utilize window shades for light and heat or to keep a room cooler when outside is warm.
- Avoid toxic chemicals. Make your own basic cleaning products, use natural pest or herb control, and opt for buying products that are most eco-friendly (and human-friendly) as possible. Pretty much all petrochemicals are harmful so stay away from pthalates ‘fragrance’, VOCs and a myriad of others.
- Reduce your reliance on plastics. Not only are they non-biodegradable and pollute the land and oceans, they leach into your food and water and persist in your body for years, and are linked to all sorts of health problems from cancer to hormone disruption. Instead, use stainless steel when you can’t use glass, and waxed paper, parchment or cardboard for your food items. If you must use plastic, find biodegradable, ‘bio-plastic’ materials, which are now available at many local stores.
Instead of going into much more detail right now, I’d like to highlight a couple things that you can do specifically at your school:
There is strength in numbers. For those who are motivated, please work with others to take action. Join the PTA or any other outside organizations that can make a difference. Even if you commit to having group brainstorming sessions every so often, it would be a good start. If you’re not inclined to get so involved, then please at least support their efforts. Is there a way to encourage a student environmental club in the school?
Be innovative and encourage innovation. Think about all the ways in which the faculty and the students can be proactive about sustainability. How about contests for eco-themed essays or science, art, or music projects? Do the kids have good ideas the school could implement, if only for a week trial period? Are there some green fundraisers you could hold for a green school project?
Consider school-wide policies. Practically overnight, the City of Chicago went from a conventional, almost behind-the-times city to a national leader in sustainability with green roofs, single-stream recycling, improved green spaces and more. It is because Mayor Daly implemented a sustainability plan that placed responsibility on each department for coming up with their own sustainability policies. Is there a way to do such a thing for each classroom, wherein the teachers, maybe with the input from students and parents, can do the same? You may also consider writing school policies to ensure sustainability. These might include procurement policies for supplies and food, as well as recycling and energy policies.
Whatever you do, don’t underestimate the influence you can have on your school, your children and your community. Pretty soon, you’ll appreciate the power of the ripple effect!
