Guest post by Beth Meredith. All views in the post are the authors’ alone.
If you’re interested in guest posting on the Sustainable Marketing Blog, please read the guidelines, and let’s take it from there. Thanks!
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Sustainability is a wonderful concept, though it is often misunderstood and misconceptions have grown with popular use. We knew we were in trouble when the Bush administration described their economic goals as sustainable.
However the deeper problem lies with the word’s limited ability to offer a clear and compelling vision. This is despite the fact that when people take the time to envision a sustainable future their descriptions are strikingly positive, not to mention similar. Common elements include a balance between the built and natural environments, as well as between work and play, a slower pace of life, and a general sense of well being. However, these positive images are often overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and frustration as people contemplate the personal and societal changes required to create a sustainable world. Despite our good intentions, raising sustainability awareness often results in people experiencing the initial stages of the grief cycle (shock, anger, denial, despair) without successfully propelling them to the transformative side of that cycle where positive change takes place.
So how do we frame these issues so people see sustainability not as a threat, but as an opportunity? Recent happiness studies confirm what philosophers and people around the world have known throughout history: once basic needs are met, well being is not about material stuff. While visions of the good life vary, they generally entail these elements:
Living well
- Sufficiency—enough of life’s necessities such as food, water, shelter, work, health, and security.
- Connection—fulfilling relationships with people, place, and nature.
- Balance—energy for different aspects of life leading to psychological and physical health.
- Freedom—making decisions and acting in line with values, beliefs, and desires.
Doing good
- Integrity—aligning thoughts, values, and actions.
- Equity—experiencing, maintaining, and increasing fairness.
- Betterment—improving what is, for one’s self, others, and the world.
For many people in the U.S. today, key to finding the time and resources to pursue the good life is using and doing less.
Using less
leads to more…
- Creativity—satisfying needs with thought and ingenuity instead of money and stuff.
- Experience—focusing on the quality of time spent doing something instead of getting more.
- Learning—expanding the world through knowing and skill building instead of consuming.
- Time—having the space and the energy to do what is important, meaningful, and satisfying.
We believe framing sustainability in terms of the good life can help business owners develop better business models for themselves and their employees, as well as help them more effectively connect with what is truly important to customers.
Sociology and design are Beth’s two passions that she has combined variously over the last thirty years. Currently she has a green home design firm with her partner Eric Storm and together they are contemplating their next step in helping people create the good life.
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Image credit: lepiaf.geo
