Climate change is ravaging the planet. Wildlife
populations are diminishing rapidly around the
world. The Earth is dying — and it’s all our fault.
This mantra cycles through my head every day,
guiding my actions as I move through my daily
routine.
“Can you turn off the lights?” “Did you make sure
to shut off the TV before you left the room?” “You
don’t need to keep the water running while you’re
washing dishes; you only need it for rinsing.”
I have said all of these things and more to my
roommates on a regular basis. Even the smallest
action left undone fills me with anxiety about
the possible negative impact it could have on the
environment. I stopped eating red meat. I attend
climate protests at state Capitol buildings. I walk
or take the bus on campus. My mindset has gone
beyond just doing what I can to promote the envi-
ronmentalist cause — my stressors have instead
morphed into a never-ending checklist that must
be completed or the world will fall apart. Yet, even
if I do accomplish every task, my personal actions
still won’t be enough to stop what’s already hap-
pening. It won’t be enough to erase what genera-
tions of human activity, industry and development
have already done to the natural world.
The barrage of warning signs indicating the
planet’s Armageddon are inescapable in today’s
world. Reports of dangerous weather events,
species endangerment and worsening climate
emergencies are constant reminders of the state
of the Earth. Whether seen on the news, viewed
on an Instagram story or learned in class, distress-
ing details of these issues flood every medium of
communication. It was precisely the prevalence
of these crises that inspired me to pursue a minor
in Environment when coming to the University of
Michigan. And despite knowing my education in
environmental science will only make me more
prepared to take on the challenges of climate
change, it also reminds me of everything I’m up
against.
It’s hard to feel inspired to create change when
your classes are designed to inform you about
increasing emissions and the detrimental effects
of the Anthropocene.
All of these experiences force me to constantly
ask myself: Are my individual actions pointless?
Do we have to completely redesign our lives to
make a “sustainable” world? Is it too late to do
anything?
Sustainability is Trending
In an age of widespread environmental aware-
ness and activism, the concept of a sustainable
lifestyle has become more mainstream, especially
among members of Gen Z. Reusable water bottles,
thrifted clothing and metal straws are staples in
many young people’s homes. Many restaurants,
and even U-M dining halls, have shifted to com-
postable packaging to reduce their plastic waste.
Large corporations have joined in on the trend
to appeal to today’s environmentally conscious
consumers. In 2018, Starbucks changed its dispos-
able cups to a design that doesn’t require the use of
a straw. In April of this year, they launched their
Earth Month Game: an interactive experience
in which customers can play games of chance
or complete Tetris-like puzzles right from their
phones. As they complete the levels, players can
choose which environmental initiative they’d like
the company to support, including clean water
and habitat rehabilitation. Participants also get
the chance to win in-store prizes while learning
about what drink or food substitutions they can
make for a more sustainable diet.
On a surface level, these actions show great
initiative. In a society where a small number
of companies are responsible for almost three-
quarters of greenhouse gas emissions, seeing
large corporations actively spread information on
sustainable consumption seems like a step in the
right direction. But there is a caveat to consider:
Though these big-name businesses are promot-
ing sustainable practices, their approach puts all
of the responsibility on the consumer instead of
the producer. In turn, they fail to adapt the very
actions they’re advocating for. And in reality, the
“steps” they have taken to become more environ-
mentally conscious may not even truly be helping:
less than 1% of the world’s plastic pol-
lution
comes from disposable straws and
the combination of their strawless
lids and cup actually equates to a
greater amount of plastic than their
original design.
Starbucks is just one of many com-
panies that advertises their commit-
ment to sustainable practices while
neglecting to examine or address
the actions that are actually the
most problematic. This phenom-
enon, called greenwashing, allows
companies to market their “green”
actions for a better public image
without making true positive
change.
Volkswagen and IKEA have
also been confronted with similar
issues of greenwashing. In 2015,
the car company used a special-
ly designed device to pass emis-
sions tests without actually
reducing their carbon waste.
As for IKEA, the company has
historically been praised for its
sustainable practices, including
a “buy-back” program where
they repurchased customers’ old
furniture for resale at a reduced
price. Yet despite this admirable
effort, the furniture conglomerate
was later linked to illegal logging prac-
tices in Ukraine.
In many cases, it seems like sustain-
ability is used as a marketing ploy instead
of an actual commitment to improvement,
with companies putting their “best foot for-
ward” for the sake of advertising and consumer
appeal. Dr. Stuart Kirsch, a professor of Anthro-
pology at the University, criticized the mass mar-
ket’s commodification of the term “sustainability”
in an interview. He emphasized that those who do
pursue eco-friendly actions will be better off in
the long run as the government implements more
environmental regulations.
“I have raised concerns about the ease with
which we use the term ‘sustainability,’ to the point
that we sometimes lose track of what it actually
means,” Kirsch said. “Corporations benefit from
their appropriation of the terms of their critique,
claiming to be responsible, sustainable and trans-
parent while watering these terms down or rede-
fining them in ways that reproduce the status quo.”
But the issue of sustainability doesn’t just affect
large corporations — small businesses feel the
impact on a much more day-to-day scale. Due to
their size, non-corporate companies are often left
behind in the race for sustainability, with items
such as compostable packaging often much more
expensive than other standardized products.
If these large-scale corporations are doing lit-
tle, or nothing, to improve environmental condi-
tions, placing pressure on the individual to change
their habits can feel overwhelming and almost
impossible in a modern capitalist society with so
many other issues to address. In her Ted Talk,
“What to do when climate change feels unstop-
pable,” activ-
ist
Clover Hogan
dives into this concept of
“eco-anxiety:” a helpless, counter-
productive and guilty feeling that
many young people experience as
we witness disaster after disas-
ter arise as a result of climate
change and human activ-
ity. She specifies that eco-
anxiety has culminated
in a surge of mental
health issues for
many individ-
uals around
the
world.
This eco-anxiety is the root of my mindset
as I complete my daily checklist, repeating my
mantra in my head. But why is this mentality so
particularly prevalent among individuals in our
age group? Hogan perfectly articulates why
Gen Z-ers especially feel this immense pressure
to solve the world’s environmental problems:
“Young people today have not created this real-
ity. We’ve inherited it. Yet we’re told we’re the
last generation with a chance to save the fate of
humanity … And in the war against nature, young
minds are the collateral.”
Dominance of the Collective
In the case of sustainability, the dissonance
between individual and collective action can
result in fear or distress over the choices we make:
Should we even bother playing our part in the
push for environmentalism if we don’t make sub-
stantial change, or should we shoulder the burden
of everyone else not advocating?
It’s an example of the collective action prob-
lem in which individuals believe that their role in
a large scenario will not make a difference in the
grand scope of the issue. This occurs within many
contexts, including election voting.
1 — Wednesday, October 6, 2021 // The Statement
When sustainability feels impossible
Page Design
by Sarah Chung
BY SARAH STOLAR,
STATEMENT COLUMNIST
Read more at
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