Conflicting self vs. collective interest

Last week's ENR 2300 assignment required students to calculate their ecological footprint using and determine how their everyday decisions contribute toward the ecological impact that they have on the planet. There were some great essays where students wrote about their dilemma when it comes to self vs. collective interests. Sharing two of the exemplary essays.

Essay 1:  

Today, with a world heavily dependent on humans making sure their carbon footprint is reduced to a minimum in order to keep our planet in decent shape for future generations to come, the issue of self vs collective interest comes into question. Now some people think that their individual efforts alone are not enough in order to make a difference, but then again if each and everyone of us thought that way then no one would ever do anything to try and change the way our planet is losing it’s resources. It is important to believe that other people are making the same efforts, and that all that manpower combined will really make a difference. There are however limits to how much people are willing to sacrifice in order to become “greener”.  I for one realized that taking a plane back home for a fourteen-hour flight six times a year is a huge contributor to my carbon footprint. Does that mean that I am willing to stop going back and visit my family? Highly unlikely, my mindset will be that if I’m not on that plane someone else will be in my seat. Finding the right balance between those two elements is important though, and giving up some things that might seem unnecessary, like driving somewhere that is in biking or walking distance, recycling, and things of the sort is crucial because interdependence means that we will always need all the resources given to us by our planet, and they are running out faster than we had anticipated. However some external elements that we can’t control also play an important role, like pollution from outside sources. When thinking about other people that do not care about the impact negative actions has on our planet, it makes me realize that maybe I can make some sacrifices to compensate for what they have been lacking. Even though riding a bike somewhere might be inconvenient for me, specially when the temperatures are elevated, I think that taking that extra step proves to others and to myself that I can actually make a difference, and by leading by example maybe I will have convinced other people that they can make a difference too and take us a step closer to saving our planet. 

Essay 2:

Some examples of self and collective interests that conflict in my everyday decisions include: walking or riding a bike over driving to work or school, Carpooling or driving solo, turning off the air conditioning when leaving the house, or turning down the heat when going to sleep on a cold winter night. Some of these were concepts we discussed in class, but the ones most pertinent to my living condition is the riding bike to class over driving and carpooling.

            When balancing self and collective interests, interdependence and self efficacy go hand in hand. Then again, so does the issue of free riders. I believe sustainability will occur with less self efficacy and more interdependence. Working together for the common goal of making our limited resources sustainable is the only way we will see change.

 Currently the existing infrastructure makes it easier on free riders than in other countries to thrive; continue the cycle. I live with my brother, whom society calls a free rider. This directly influences my thoughts on how to address the free rider issue because I know how hard it is for some people to stand in the light of self efficacy. Addressing this issue is as complex as the current infrastructure.

Balancing self and collective issues requires the infrastructure to look at society as a whole rather than by class; and change the perspective on free riders and interdependence from a negative view to people that can influence the externalities just as much as the people at the top of the system. Externalities was a topic in my microeconomics class and according to dictionary.com, an externality is the impact of a decision or purchase by one party on others who did not have a say or whose interests were not considered in the decision. From my economics class, we learned that these externalities can be positive or negative. Pollution is an example of a negative externality. A positive example stated on dictionary.com includes purchasing a smart car or hybrid which in turn increases demand for mechanics that know the new technology, thus improving the situation for other owners of the same model.

According to footprintnetwork.org, if everybody lived like I do, we would need about 5 worlds to sustain the population. That’s just the basic information also, not the more detailed report. This influences the way I think when shopping for groceries, or shopping for a house later on in life. i.e; location for my house or style it will be, closer to the stores versus out in the country where I can grow my own produce, fish, and hunt for my meat products.

In conclusion, as the ocean fishers are faced with issues of over fishing or feeding their families, everybody is faced with similar issues in everyday decisions. This is especially depicted in the ecological footprint simulation we did as a part of the research. We are all faced with the decisions of self interest and the conflict of collective and environmental interests. It will take many people understanding the impact of limiting our individual behaviors, actions, and decisions in purchases on collective and environmental benefits.