Sustainability what does it mean? Why is it so hard to reach a consensus about how to slow climate change? How does information overload relate to our choices? Find the answers to these and further questions right below.
Origin of sustainability comes from two separate words; sustain and ability. That means to support power or capacity to do or act physically, mentally, legally, morally, financially, etc.
The average person gets bombarded with over 1,700 banner ads per month, but only sees half of them. Every day we are exposed to radio, television, newspapers, or social media who are trying to influences so many people’s behavior. The internet also overwhelms users daily. We have access to unlimited offers and emails containing adverts. In this current digital age, we have all been subject to massive information overload. On top of this, markets don’t make things more comfortable with the number of products available. You can see examples of this every time you walk into a store and see the choice available for so many products, i.e., fifteen different types of toilet paper.
Information overloads lead to a situation where, due to an excess of information, a person is no longer in a position to make a well-reasoned purchase decision — the limited capacity of the human brain. We shut us down to be able to function normally. The capacity of the human brain is limited, which leads to an increased overload of information. It eventually causes a complete freeze in information to being consumed. The brain acts as a sort of filter system – only relevant information remains in a person’s memory.
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themself.”
In a world of more than seven billion people, each of us is a drop in the bucket. What can I do as an individual about climate change? You can’t change the world; you can’t fix the whole environment. It’s even too much for one person to bear this responsibility. But you can to reconsider every single business decision based on sustainability. Invest in sustainable ideas, research, startups, and companies and give them the possibility to grow. What is most importantly, start to trust in yourself and focus on the right things.
The beginning is always the hardest because it brings a change. As human beings, we have these skills to adapt fast. History has shown that when people come together, great things may happen. Whether you want to admit it or not, we depend on each other. We know these times are hard and scary, not knowing what is coming next. Whatever you feel, out there is a person who feels the same.
You can’t change the past, but you can make adjustments in your present for a better future.
We can reuse, reduce, recycle, revenue business models.
We can make sustainable fun, accessible, and comfortable by making sustainable choices easier.
We can inspire and engage tech into a sustainable movement.
We can take baby steps in our daily life towards sustainability.
We can inspire others in our environment.
We can search for and highlight role models who have a positive impact on the environment and society.
We can support sustainable businesses and use their services or products.
We live in a country where we have the privilege to decide and make choices. The question is, are you going to be able to turn off all that noise of mass media and make the right choice?
Source of information:
Seminarium Sustainable Solutions, Doberman Advertising Agency in Stockholm. You can find more information about them here: https://www.pledgesustainability.net
Helpful article about 10 things to do for climate change: https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-can-stop-climate-change/
How mass media affects our brain: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/18/modern-world-bad-for-brain-daniel-j-levitin-organized-mind-information-overload