Ambayec, Mounicha C.

BSA-2 MWF (3:30- 4:30 PM)

Are Sustainable Initiatives Ineffective Measures or Change Makers?

The recent weeklong webinar series launched by the USJ-R Josenian Junior Diplomats
coined as "Sustainability Week" has brought to the surface an improved concept of sustainability
that tackles all its aspects on an individual, environmental and societal level. On its 4th day
(October 15), it seeks to respond an underlying issue whether or not sustainable initiatives are
indeed game changers that drive development in the society. Beatriz Castaño, the first speaker
of the 4th day webinar, mentioned how challenging it was for her to correct the misconception
that sustainable initiatives do not make a difference at all. She said: "sustainability is not our
thing...so I encourage everyone to practice sustainability because that's what the world needs".
The entire webinar was so consistent in proving that one sustainable initiative done could already
create a huge impact and just imagine how great the outcome will be if every single person does
his or her part. More so, it was also incredibly conveyed that individuals, businesses and societies
should incorporate sustainable initiatives in their daily routines taking a leap towards becoming
"eco warriors". The bottomline stance of the webinar is simple and straightforward: for the world
to last long, it must be sustained; and this is exactly one of the basic concepts fostered by the
notion "development".

More often than not, people are having a hard time embracing sustainability simply
because they are non-receptive to changes. For some reasons, they refuse to make a huge switch
such as transitioning to eco-friendly products as alternatives to daily use of plastics. However,
according to Vinokor (2014), there will always be individuals whose ideological and political belief
systems prevent them from changing to sustainable ways of life. The best way then to show them
that sustainability is the way is to have them understand that it is more economically viable and
profitable than the current status quo. In this manner, it is possible to depolarize situations and
allow people to make decisions based on their own personal financial bottom lines. The process
may be tough but as Abi Biard, the second speaker of the 4th day webinar said: “never get
discouraged because the beginning of everything is struggle”. Like development, sustainability
requires collective efforts to vividly envision a 'change'. It requires each contributing individual to
assess what must be the problem and what should be done. Like development, sustainability
should be all-encompassing and every factor that affects the process must be considered. This
is the main reason why SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are placed into existence
because they are nonexclusive and they address the needs of individuals in every area of concern
may it be on preservation of resources, health, justice, poverty reduction, or education. Like
development, sustainability seeks to persistently achieve a good social well-being. Achieving
sustainability ensures that the social well-being of a country, an organization, or a community can
be maintained in a long run. The underlying concern of modern society is that while people today
are enjoying the comforts of economic development, the future generations are on the verge of
confronting scarce natural resources and polluted environment (Arora, 2018). Thus, it is our
utmost responsibility to leave the planet as a self-sustainable system providing equal
opportunities of survival not only to our future generations but also to all other species co-habiting
with us because this is the whole point of sustainability. It is only through starting to gradually
actualize the “hows” of sustainability which refers to the efforts to be done that we will be able to
establish a gateway towards a continuously progressive environment and society.

The imagery effectuated by the webinar is like listening to a Ted Talk by inspiring
entrepreneurs who started from scratch and are now owners of phenomenally successful
companies in the world. Since it focuses more on the initiatives to be done, then it more likely
imposed a call of action to its listeners and apart from it being an informative medium, it was an
action-driven session that can literally motivate anyone to start his or her own business venture
that integrates sustainable practices. Certain policies, programs and movements were done
across years in order to promote sustainability and this mission must continue to thrive in order
to truly experience growth among generations. Sustainability shouldn’t be just a mere idea but it
should be one’s way of living because every change we ought to see begins in ourselves. We are
ignited to realize sustainable initiatives in our own ways because if not now, then when?

References:

Arora, N. (2018). Environmental sustainability—necessary for survival. Retrieved from

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42398-018-0013-3

Vinokor, R. (2014). Why don’t we all go green. Retrieved from

https://edblogs.columbia.edu/scppx3335-001-2014-1/2014/04/02/why-dont-we-all-go-
green/#:~:text=The%20main%20reason%20many%20people,their%20typical%2C%20enviro
nmentally%20harmful%20activities.&text=Many%20environmentally%20friendly%20products
%20are,than%20other%2C%20less%20clean%20options.