Let’s drop the mumbo-jumbo and get on with it!
Here’s something I read on Guardian Sustainable Business from Doug Tompkins, founder of North Face and Esprit:
“we should not rush into trying to solve problems before we have truly understood the deep dynamics of the system we are seeking to transform…
…what we need is idea work, which helps build the intellectual infrastructure necessary to make deep structural changes in the economic technologies that we use to operate our societies. For ultimately, there can be no hope of ending the eco-social crisis until people abandon the arrogance of humanism and adopt an eco-centric worldview.”
This sort of thing drives me up the wall.
1. The climate does not care whether a kilo of carbon dioxide has been emitted while you’ve been listening to whale music or watching X Factor. It is a kilo of carbon that causes a certain amount of warming. We need to cut carbon, not achieve enlightenment. If we get more spiritually enlightened by doing so, then great, but let’s put the horse in front of the cart.
2. “We should not rush” – err – the science tells us we should. Sitting in a yurt chanting or stroking our beards in the wilderness may be self-fulfilling, but it must not be confused for practical progress. Learn by doing, make mistakes, but get going.
3. But most importantly, trying to change our whole philosophy towards nature raises the barriers to participation. My philosophy (yeah, I know) of Green Jujitsu is to make ‘green’ desirable, easier than ‘ungreen’ and intuitive, not some mystical priesthood with byzantine initiation rituals and secret handshakes.
The people I know who are making a real difference are driven not by “an eco-centric worldview” so much as a famous brand slogan – “Just Do It!”