I know everyone is probably tired of hearing predictions, hopes and wishes for the New Year by now, so I won’t make any. But that doesn’t mean the environmental movement doesn’t need some attention. I’m almost positive there has been enough scare-mongering in the media and general conversation to last forever, so with the new year, I’m calling myself an optimistic realist and looking on the bright side.
I don’t mean to say there aren’t problems; we all know there are. Sea levels; ocean acidification; species extinctions; industrial farming practices; soil erosion; habitat destruction; marine debris; blast, farm and cyanide fishing; deforestation; water contamination, toxic waste; and landfills — just to name a few — are all causes for concern. Speaking cumulatively then, we should all be very concerned. But consider this: If you’re standing at the bottom of the Mountain of Sustainability thinking about how huge it is and how you’ll never be able to make it to the top, the likelihood is that you’ll feel so overwhelmed that you won’t even get started.
I think, therefore, that rather than sit around and make predictions about what further havoc we’ll wreak on our poor planet this year, the more useful way to use that time would be to set some challenging, yet attainable goals. We need to get up the first part of the mountain safely, first. Have you set your personal goals yet for this year? If so, did you write them down? It is said that a goal not written down is just a wish.
So what should our goals for our actions toward the Earth be this year? That’s just it; we’re not communicating effectively enough worldwide to reach any global understanding on what we should be doing at the national level. The results (or lack thereof) of the Copenhagen Climate Summit in December were clear proof of this. It seems like most countries were up for talking about climate change as if it were a priority, but not willing to actually make it a priority, which would entail enormous sacrifice and effort.
Two other key aspects of goal-setting are being realistic and being committed to doing what you set out to do. This reminds me of my favorite line from “Batman Begins,” when Rachel Dawes says to Bruce Wayne, “It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” So instead of staring gape-jawed at the top of the mountain where total Earth sustainability glows like a beautiful beacon, many have already realized that we must bring our sights down to the more manageable attempt of reaching base camp by acting both locally and individually on specific issues that we care deeply about.
A key element to goal-setting is being specific. Which facets of local sustainability, and there are many, will the Eugene Sustainability Commission set out to affect this year, and in what ways, I wonder? How about the University Office of Sustainability? What are the campus groups setting out to do this term, and how will they do whatever that is?
One final aspect of effectively reaching set goals is checking in to see if you’re getting where you want to go and if you are remaining committed to your intentions. Sustainability is a goal of the City of Eugene as well as the University, but it is simultaneously a concept.
As a concept, sustainability is the idea of an environment that is nurturing and respectful of all the life that occupies it, including that which will occupy it in the future. Are we making measurable steps toward getting there? Are we holding ourselves accountable to the promises we’ve made to one another and ourselves?
I do not have the answers to these questions — yet. But my goal for this column for this term is to check in each week with a local entity that has set its intentions on sustainable practices, and share the results of how it’s going for them in this space. If you have suggestions or comments, please share them.
And with that, I’d like to leave you with these words from basketball coach Stephen A. Brennan: “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
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