To be honest I tend not to talk too much about sustainability and my challenge with my friends. When I do I can feel.the invisible eyes rolling and the conversation doesn’t last too long. You must remember environmentally conscious people back when I was 18/19 years of age were considered hippies and tree huggers. Generally they were not considered with a huge amount of respect or positivity.
I have spoken.with my family and they are supportive but have not shown any interest in trying it themselves.
I am definitely looking at other areas of my life that I can make switches since starting this challenge. I agree that the more people who make switches the more normal living sustainability will be. But do we have the time to wait until this happens naturally? Or do we now need the leaders to make some difficult and uncomfortable decisions for us and help to accelerate this change.
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Darren Clarke commented on Day 12: Influence 4 years agoHi Katherine. Great to hear that you're persevering in spite of the lack of support or interest in your challenge from friends. I wonder why you have taken a different path in terms of your interest in sustainability than those who are the same age as you. Is there a particular reason why they are less interested in environmentally issues than you? What led you to this interest and not them? The fact that your family is supportive makes a difference when you're completing something like this. A support network is crucial when we are trying to transform and change our old habits. I agree that we don't have time to wait until change happens naturally, as we saw from Sam Fahy's talk today. For systemic change I think we need real leadership to deliver alternatives to the status quo. What you're doing in this challenge is a trial experiment of this to see how that might be achieved at larger scales. Looking forward to continuing reading your journey. Darren Respond
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Katherine Molloy commented on Day 12: Influence 4 years agoI think a big driver of success for my generation was and is material possessions like the 2 cars, 3 holidays and multiple house extensions etc.etc My parents have never put weight on material possessions so I guess this helped me to keep an open mind on more social and environmental issues around me. Respond
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Darren Clarke commented on Day 12: Influence 4 years ago
Hi Katherine I fully agree with your observations on success being perceived in terms of material wealth. I don't think it's confined to solely your friends I'm afraid. I've also seen the same traits in some of my friends. I think I've changed as a person on my sustainability journey over the last 10 years or so. I too was much more materialistic in the past having worked in financial services. One of the things I have found solace in is seeking out new relationships with people who align with my values now. I know I'll connect with these people more on a deeper level than with some of my friends from childhood. I found it hard to let go of these relationships but I find it equally hard to have meaningful conversations about issues that I care about with some of these people given that we see the world quite differently. I'm not saying it's a lost cause but I think my time and resources are spent better with people who align closer to my values. Have you noticed a change in who you connect with and form relationships based on your interest for the environment over the years? All the best. Darren Respond
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