Hillel,
a Jewish scholar scribed this great question. I believe this
questions pulls at the edges and core of sustainability. It also pulls at
my own sustainability champion self-identity. As a person that has chosen
a career of service, I am often pushing myself to fearlessly enter into the
most challenging areas of an organization. I am not afraid of asking the
hard questions if it will push justice, change or equity for people in my
community and workplace. At the individual level, this question gets at
the root of my calling. I can, with some reflection, answer at a very personal
level why I step in and why I feel urgency on different topics, particularly
advocating for the environment. This is not about my career, this is about my
calling.
Do businesses and organizations have a calling? We talk
about their mission but I”m not sure that really gets at the essence of this
issue.
I have recently attended a
few conferences where there were great profiles on large corporations stepping
up. The stories of UPS, Proctor and Gamble, Waste Management, Xerox
and others can be quite inspiring. They’ve asked the tough questions, or
the “heretical questions” as Andrew Winston of EcoStrategies calls them. He speaks of Waste
Management, a waste hauler, and the shift towards helping people reduce their
waste stream instead of hauling it. As he says….Can you imagine the
discussion where someone asked: ”what if our business model was to help people
reduce their waste instead of hauling their waste?” These types of
heretical questions are the ones that get that core of “if not you then
who?”. He also gives the example of a floor cleaning company that
asked the question…..”what if we offered a floor cleaning device that used no
soaps or chemicals?” Tennant has done
just that; they have designed an industrial floor cleaner that relies on water
and UV lights. These two companies answered the
question…If not you, then who?
“If not now, then when?” The urgency of social and
environmental challenges makes the timing of responding to the needs of
individuals, communities, and regions even more imperative. Proctor
and Gamble has done ecological footprints on their products and found their
greatest footprints is in the homes of their consumers, in particular hot
water for shampoos and detergents. They see the need for reducing
energy consumption and the shift towards more sustainable water use. They
are launching a campaign to get people to take shorter showers. Who
would have thought that Breck shampoo’s message would be take shorter
showers! P&G saw an urgent need and stepped up; ultimately this
campaign may result in people using less shampoo.
The cynical side of me is climbing out of my chair about now.
These are massive corporations that are making giant shifts but their
footprints are still enormous and they are dependent on consumer
patterns. They are dependent on an economy of growth. But that’s another
blog.
When I deepen my pondering of the question, (“If not you then
who? If not now, then when?”) I am struck by the importance of the
actions, behaviors, choices, and decisions of the individual. Someone at
P&G and Waste Management had to ask the question. He or she had to
step up and ask the hard question. If we are to shift the way we
communicate about sustainability, it’s critical that we create workplaces and
communities where the tough questions are asked and addressed. We need to
look those tough heretical questions square in the eye. We need to create
spaces where they are encouraged as part of the culture of communities and
organizations.
So,
I wonder if there is something else to add to these questions. “If not
you, then who? If not now, then when?” How about: ”if not
fearless, then what?” How do we make this statement a mantra
for sustainability champions? What should we add so that more people feel free
to ask these questions and to boldly champion a change forward?
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