You might have come across, as I, the ‘social values’ and ‘environmental ethics’, while your interaction with people in various organizations and institutions across development sector (d-sector) i.e. social and environmental domains. I am talking about our public sector organizations, civil society groups, research institutions, think tanks, corporate led societies, international bodies, to name a few.
People talk about corruption by politicians and bureaucrats, policy flaws, poor planning and implementation, poor monitoring, uncoordinated or non-integrated approach and missing post program/project follow-ups.
Reduce your carbon foot prints for ‘me’: I have seen the advocates of this ‘tag’ line running; Air conditioners while they are not in offices, using plastic bags when they shop, using bath tubs and unnecessary showers when they take baths, traveling in cars to nearby markets where they could simply walk, using heaters in winters when there is nobody in rooms, using lights when we can avoid during sun light, dumping garbage to neighborhoods plot during nights-rather walking to common garbage bin at nearby place, prefer wooden furnishers though there are alternate,.. ….! They want us to reduce your carbon foot prints, for them at least!
Corruption in Government-‘I am not’: I have seen people working in ‘Government’ and PSUs- talking time and again about corruption, wrong policies of government, among others, and being part of the system unable (their disability) to change the system, by their own! But, when they get hefty bribes-they are happy to receive them, when it comes to break the laid state or country rules for their promotion and otherwise-they don’t want to lose the chance, when it comes to put a community or group deprived of the benefits they are suppose to get due to the negligence of these officials -then they don’t care about it in personal interest. When it comes to remain an honest government servant and perform better, then they grumble about their salaries in comparison to a corporation and business house or international agency employee. When it’s about own dignity and honesty-they become ‘part of the system’… When it comes about coordinated and integrated approach application-they are vocal on that to common people-but, when it comes about integration and coordination within their offices-they become particular about it…! Therefore, they say-about corruption in ‘government’ but, they are not!
Save that environment ‘we want’: I have seen people talking about saving the environment and agitating and protesting at many environment forums to save the environment and the natural resources ‘for the people’ and ‘with the people’. But, when I observe them, they have excess of allotted land and resources (farm houses, etc.) in major Metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore among others…and huts /farms in Mussoorie, Shimla, Ooty, Goa.., their offices are wooden furnished from precious trees like teak, shesham, walnut, oak, maple, cherry, rosewood, but, they talk about; common resources, natural conservations, action plan for forest, tribe and forest relation, poverty and forest degradation, environment governance, etc..! They have their own animal zoo, dwarf varieties of trees in offices and farm houses, they everyday eat red-meat-but talk about rice intensification, methane coming due to agriculture, energy rating, animal welfare…!
Because, they want to save environment!
Related articles
- Environmental Valuation. (diverctehs.wordpress.com)
- Second Regional Forum for People and Forests (chimalaya.org)
- What’s Your Environmental Worldview? (brighthub.com)
- Promoting environmental awareness with our students (education420.wordpress.com)
- Exploration of forests causing depletion of Himalayan medicinal wealth (chimalaya.org)
- World Environment Day Celebration in HIMALAYAN Region-2011 (chimalaya.org)
- Himalayan glacier controversy (chimalaya.org)
- Jairam Ramesh’s legacy is an Indian environment ministry with an identity (guardian.co.uk)
- Morocco fights corruption through education (moroccotomorrow.org)
- “Our Common Future” revisted (ideasandinstitutions.wordpress.com)
- Land Ethics and the Modern Environmental Movement (ideasandinstitutions.wordpress.com)
- Radical American Environmentalism Response (ideasandinstitutions.wordpress.com)
Quests That Change… 
One response to “How does it Matter to my Social values and Environmental Ethics?”
I agree with this article. Without ethics societies are not going to improve.Whoever works in environmental issues should follow the principles of environmental ethics, but unfortunately that is not the case, and therefore we have very poor results. For instance the UN bureaucrats of the Conventions of Climate Change, Biodiversity, Desertification, the Commission of Sustainable Development, the UNEP and other environmental bodies, have huge carbon footprints, they are traveling all the time and stay in luxury locations, with no achievements in the ground. Regarding water, without doubt we should reduce its consumption, but the most important is not contaminating it with toxic substances, oils, waste, batteries, because it gets more difficult to recycle it, and sometimes becomes non recyclable, and toxic for the environment. Wooden furniture is better than plastic or made with other artificial materials, it can last for centuries and can easily be repaired and recycled, other materials turn rapidly into non recyclable waste. Of course we should not use species that are in extinction. It seems to me important to advocate for lowering the carbon footprint of the UN because it should be the example for all the countries.Just the people who walk their talk can make a difference in the world.