We are all aware of the degradation of the environment, the rapid rate of the extinction of species, rising sea levels, depleting fishing stocks, overpopulation.....the list is endless and with that my anxiety levels rise exponentially too. As a simple citizen and 1 of more than 7 billion humans on earth we are so overwhelmed by these problems and our impending doom that inaction is the our only reaction. In South Africa we are bombarded by bad news constantly which in turn makes us a very traumatised nation. Personally I think lowering the crime statistics and the addressing the horrific treatment of children in this country a long with trying to make sense and solve other societal ills is the top priority for this country, and with that other 'environmental' issues are sidelined. But, we are all interlinked....society, our environment and the economy.
My passion is driving the sustainability concept for all systems, and my main focus is on environmental issues. And even if we tackle an environmental problem, the issues in the other 2 systems will and should also improve. Activism and entrepreneurship (whereby individuals can get involved) are big sustainability drivers and in the past year there have been many paradigm shifts in the way they can spur formidable change.
In an article on the CSRWired Blog called "Paradigm shifts transform waste, entrepreneurship, activism" by Danielle Lanyard, what she calls 'effective activism' and entrepreneurship has made great strides in empowering people to make sustainability a way of life.
Under the 'Effective Activism' banner, religion is being roped in to amplify this message of caring for the planet and being accountable for the consequences of daily actions. 'Green Faith' is a program currently being deployed in places of worship and religious schools in the US to promote stewardship of the planet and environmental resources. Individual activism is also a growing trend and tackles many environmental challenges such as the Pacific Garbage Patch. An environmentalist in the US, Boyan Slat, has initiated the 'Ocean Cleanup Array' program which involves engineers, students, modelers and other experts in finding solutions to clean up the ocean using the latest technology. Paradigm shifts in entrepreneurship are also fuelling the change, these being programmes such as 'The Responsible Entrepreneur' and 'Fledge' who supply mentoring and consulting services to entrepreneurs who want to incorporate social and environmental responsibility into company strategy.
And now back to South Africa. The sustainability message is still on the back foot here and as mentioned earlier on, not a national priority. But there are still quite a few drivers out there. On the effective activism side we have the Justice and Peace department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference who advocate for environmental justice as part of the Catholic faith. Rolling this thinking out to other churches and religions would have high impact. Then the individual activists such as Braam Malherbe, who received the 'Eco Warrior' award in 2012 for his many initiatives and involvement in counter poaching operations, the Table Mountain national park fire fighting unit and the EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund. And the 'Treasure the Karoo Action Group' led by Jonathan Deal who has come up against big corporates. These individuals have a big impact.
On the entrepreneurial front a few initiates such as the EthicsXchange which facilitates open dialogue with industry leaders about all ethical issues. Otherwise no other programmes such as 'The Responsible Entrepreneur' or 'Fledge' as in the US. Maybe an idea to start a similar initiative here in SA?
So we are on our way to doing good and spreading the word. Let's hope sooner than later for the sake of the future.
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