Are we willing to make sacrifices?

Are you willing to sacrifice your well-being for the greater-good?


Are you willing to lower your standard of living for the greater-good?


Let's imagine I own a well-established small business which manufactures plastic forks, knives and spoons.  My business has put my children through college and secured my family's retirement.  Additionally, the business provides a good living for about 50 employees.  We pay a fair wage and provide health insurance.   We support local schools, charitable organizations and sponsor a Little League team.  Considering our employee's families, our vendor's employees and all the other people we touch through our community activities, we have a positive affect on the quality of life of possibly hundreds of lives.  I'm very proud of what we've accomplished.


But what's been gnawing on my conscience lately is my business plan.  It's predicated on my product being used once and then thrown away.  It assumes an unending supply of natural resources and limitless space in landfills.  It's based on being wasteful and destructive to our environment. 


Could I change my business plan?  Could my product be marketed as a "buy it once and reuse it" instead of tossing it in the trash?  I, by myself, probably could not change the habits of millions of consumers, but for the moment, let's assume I can.  What would that mean to me?  What would it mean to my employees?


It would mean a significant drop in sales, significant lay-offs of my employees and possibly our vendor's employees.  It would mean a significant drop in my standard of living.  It could even mean the end of my business. 


So, what's the right thing to do?  Am I willing to sacrifice my well-being (and that of many others) for the benefit of our society's future - for the health of our environment?  I can rationalize that my affect on landfills is so small that it's not significant and I don't need to worry about it?  I can rationalize that consumers will continue to demand my products, and if I stop making them, someone else will fill the void.  Is it up to me?  Is it my responsibility to take action?

*****

If we only think of today, we will never solve the environmental problems we will face in the future.  Yes, individuals will need to make sacrifices for the greater-good, but the "Greater-Good" need to participate in these sacrifices as well.  They need to change their consumption habits as well.


For the record, I have little hope.