How "Eco" Am I?

My friends have been questioning me of late about my true commitment to the environment. More specifically, they ask, “Are you sure you’re really an environmentalist? I mean, why’d you choose that issue? Why not labor or poverty? You don’t seem particularly environmental.” I understand where they’re coming from. I don’t plant trees. I take long showers. I find recycling to be exceedingly tedious. On that score, they’re right.

And while it’s true, I may be somewhat of a hypocrite, here’s the way I see it. I believe the world is on an unsustainable trajectory of energy and material consumption that, left unchecked, will result in famine, war and the decline of modern civilization. I believe that unless China, for example, figures out how to stop polluting its own water and diverting the bulk of it to its cities and factories and away from the countryside and farming irrigation, the entire world will feel the squeeze. Why? Because if China does not stop polluting and diverting its water, then China will import food as has already begun. And they'll import lots of it. 1.6 billion people’s worth. That food import is really a water import since if China weren’t polluting and diverting its own water, it wouldn’t need to import food in the first place. And if China is importing food to feed 1.6 billion people that means the price of food is going up around the world and a lot of other populations already near the poverty line won’t have much left to chew on. And when people can’t eat, they either die or attack someone else who has food. And that's an example of why global economic development policies must be addressed.

I am not laying any more responsbility on China than anywhere else. All that country is doing is consciously deciding to emulate the United States. They want the same lifestyle we have. Unfortunately, they want the exact same lifestyle. This means they’re building highway systems like crazy and looking forward to a well-fueled 1.6 billion person automobile economy. That would be the equivalent of taking the populations of the United States and all of Europe combind and giving every man, woman and child two more cars each to drive around in all the time. If you truly don’t think we’re facing problems from pollution already, just wait. Unless we, the industrialized world, can offer up a more sustainable and simultaneously viable economic model for China to follow and emulate, I can really understand and relate to their decision-making process even though it has particularly unpleasant consequences for all of us here in the United States and around the world.

I realize I'm painting a rather unfortunate scenario. Could I be wrong? Sure. I’m not a scientist. I’m not a seer. I am, however, a realist. Realists recognize reality and then make their choice whether to act or not. Vivavi is that choice. Vivavi is the belief that business is the catalyst that will swing the balance back in favor of a cleaner, more sustainable planet. Business will offer up super great, super fun and super easy solutions so that all of us consumers who love driving our cars and buying stuff like crazy can do so in ways that are aligned with a cleaner, healthier planet. Reality is consumers aren't going to change their shopping and consumption patterns any time soon. So business must figure out how to meet consumer demand with products that make the earth a better place. And that's what we have set out to do.

-- Josh