Good citizens, and good companies, don’t waste resources. To be sustainable for our kids and for their kids – and all future generations – we need to minimize waste. One way to become more sustainable is to become an expert on being lean, both in our professional and personal lives. If you want some pointers, and there is anyone still alive from the old days, ask them. In my grandparents' generation, waste was a sin.
We can certainly have an impact at home, but our companies can have an even bigger effect. Addressing that impact in a positive way can make the next generations (and you) feel proud of your efforts. It’s first important to recognize that we are all in the same lifeboat and any actions we take will help.
Acknowledge the issue
We had better get with the program. It sounds like climate change will be bad for whole sections of our country and the world. While I believe in climate change science, it should be clear to even disbelievers that the weather is getting more severe, and drought and flooding patterns are changing (not for the better). This increasingly rapid change could turn out to have monstrous consequences. For example, a United Nations report released earlier this year, titled “Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,” advised that a million species may risk extinction due to climate change. Pretending it is not an issue is ignorance.
While driving in Florida, from Fort Myers to Miami on Route 75, my new fancy GPS showed we were at a three-foot elevation above sea level. At the time we were a good distance from the coast. But, three feet is not very much when you consider the melting going on at the North and South Poles and the potential for rising sea levels. Other coastal places and some islands are at even greater risk.
For now, the battle is up to us. I’m afraid there is not much leadership at the government level on this issue currently. I’m not sure why our “leaders” (with a few exceptions) are acting so ignorantly but we, in our business life and at home, are compelled to be thrifty.
Specifically, in the transportation industry, we can look forward to higher diesel prices, accelerated infrastructure deterioration, disruptions to routing, catastrophes (that we have to drive around or get through), disruptions to supply chains, increased emergency preparation, and other issues we have yet to discover.
Past examples
We have to do our part. Our elected officials have to do their part. The government can take the lead to help industries to be more efficient. It has happened in the past. One example of a shift in government becoming involved was the Arabic and Iranian oil embargoes of 1973 and 1979, respectively. The embargoes created a scarcity of both diesel and gasoline, causing long lines at fueling stations, and alternate-day purchases.
It was essential to reduce the fuel consumption so there would be enough to go around. In the late 1970s, Jimmy Carter’s administration pushed for and passed a program called the Voluntary Truck and Bus Fuel Economy Program, among other actions. This program involved participation from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and the transportation industry to research how to reduce fuel usage. Many of the ideas are standard parts of trucks today such as fairings, thermostatically controlled fans, reduced weight trailers, etc.
Next steps
Scientists talk about a tipping point. At the tipping point, the rate of temperature change will accelerate until it is unstoppable. Personally, that idea makes me want to ignore the whole problem altogether. But that is the very problem. The problem is so big it feels pointless to start. We also face an enemy more powerful and more cunning than any in human history: ourselves. We have an internal battle, right here in the U.S. It is the millions of us who make a living from the releases of fossil fuel carbon, methane, or even chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs, one of the worst chemicals for the atmosphere).
Our livelihood is on the line. It is not a theoretical conversation for our industry. We can lead, or we can get dragged into changing.
I say we must lead and accept our role and take immediate actions for the greater good.
