We play by the rules. We separate our rubbish, recycling what we can. We try to buy efficient cars and maybe stretch our finances to buy electric vehicles. Because we’re told it’s the right choice for the planet. Most of the time, we’re on our best behaviour.
Okay, we slip up occasionally. Maybe we forget our ‘bag for life’ at the till. Then we’re faced with a choice – pay 30p for a plastic carrier (which we imagine might somehow end up tangled around a turtle’s neck in the Pacific) or juggle our shopping to the car, cursing the runaway clementines as they tumble under the seat. So we reluctantly hand over our 30p. Promising to reuse the bag for something. Anything to make it worth it and give the bag a second life. After all, the money must go somewhere good, right? Maybe it funds environmental initiatives? Or is it just another chance for retailers to profit from our guilt? Am I getting skeptical?
Do our efforts make a difference – does it matter?
We recycle and choose greener products. Turn on the TV, and you will see corporations polluting rivers. You will also see industries pumping out waste. Policies putting economic growth over planetary health. We hear about private jets on long flights for convenience. We wonder, “How does my decision to walk to work measure up against that?”
It’s hard not to feel like our efforts are a drop in an ocean of apathy.
But does that mean we should stop trying?
The problem might lie in the idea that we can “save the planet” alone. We’ve been convinced that by recycling more and driving less, we can fix things. Buying eco-friendly products can help too. These are necessary steps. However, they can’t solve a problem this big without collective action. Businesses, governments, and consumers must pull together.
So, what’s required?
Real change.
Change that holds polluters accountable.
Change that ensures the 30p bag fee actually funds meaningful solutions. This applies if we decide to pay it. Alternatively, the profits from sustainable products should contribute to meaningful solutions.
Change that asks whether governments are enabling progress or just shifting the burden to consumers.
Of course our efforts still matter. Every plastic bag avoided, every decision to walk instead of drive, every repaired item – they add up. They create ripples that can grow into waves. They send a message, shift culture, and prove that WE care.
But caring isn’t enough. We need to more. We need to ask the tough questions and hold the right people accountable.
It’s time to aim higher, to turn individual actions into collective power.
But how?
Over to you…
What will you do now that you know?
Simon
4 responses to “Q7: Why Does It Feel Like Our Efforts Aren’t Enough?”
ccircular economy might help particularly with re-cycle and re-use of plastic products if there are effective policies relating to waste management.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment! The circular economy is a powerful concept, particularly when it comes to tackling the challenges of plastic waste. Effective policies are key to making it work – policies that incentivise reuse, improve recycling infrastructure, and hold manufacturers accountable for the lifecycle of their products.
It’s encouraging to see more businesses and governments exploring this approach, but there’s still a long way to go to ensure it becomes the norm rather than the exception. What do you think are the biggest hurdles to implementing effective waste management policies on a global scale?
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Dear Simon I wonder if you are suffering from “saving the environment” burnout?
Having followed all the advice and exhortations to save the planet, the steps you have conscientiously taken are not always easy to maintain given the pressures of life’s responsibilities towards family, home and work. Following the environmentally sensitive route takes its toll. Changing household regimes, we can probably adapt easily but, on the other hand, financing an electric car is no mean effort and then keeping it charged is also stressful during the shaky transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Allowing some leeway may provide a little comfort for our consciences – particularly if one finds a second use for the 30p plastic bag. This is not difficult and may save us from the temptation to buy yet another pristine roll of bags from the supermarket to line our waste containers.
Having to pay for bags from shops has made a big difference to people’s habits. It has made us think twice and plan ahead to ensure newly purchased goods are protected – by reusing our own existing bags.
We have seen major improvements in the reduction of retail packaging and these efforts continue to develop particularly when supermarkets respond to environmental demands fuelled by the purchase power of their shoppers.
Our personal and domestic efforts at sustainability certainly do fade into apparent insignificance in the face of damaging corporate actions and personal luxury living. Public and media criticism is not unknown, especially where the perpetrators draw attention to their claimed environmental credentials.
Maybe the answer is to support appropriate campaigns against powerful entities that are not pulling their weight for the environment. Individuals pulling together can make a difference.
On the other hand, we should understand that. at lower income levels. some sacrifices in the name of sustainability may not be affordable.
There is much to be done but we must not be too despondent and we should fight on different fronts for the sake of the future.
I hope this will cheer you up before you send out your next question. Margaret E Cooper
Simon. My approach to “saving the planet” has always been a simple one. Of course I can’t achieve an enormous amount on my own,
but I owe it to my conscience to try to do something. My actions may, at the very least, encourage others to follow suit and/or apply
pressure on politicians and policy-makers. So, as you know, for eleven years, from 2009-2020, Margaret and I survived without owning
a car and, whenever possible, we used public transport. Between us we have written many letters to Members of Parliament and local
councillors; we have signed petitions and joined peaceful demonstrations; we have participated in conservation and other ventures.
As Peter Benenson, the British lawyer and founder of Amnesty International said at a Human Rights Day ceremony in 1961:
‘It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness’
John E Cooper
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Thank you, Margaret and John, for such thoughtful encouragement. It’s true that the scale of the challenge can feel overwhelming at times, but rest assured, I haven’t lost faith in the power of small actions – or in the ripple effect they create.
Your reminder about finding new uses for that 30p bag and supporting collective action is spot on. These small, practical steps do matter, and they remind us that we’re never truly alone in this fight.
John, the Benenson quote really strikes a chord: ‘It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.’ A timely reminder that every action, however small, counts.
Thank you both for sharing your wisdom and for inspiring me to keep asking these important questions. Together, we’ll keep lighting those candles.
Simon
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