The other day I was out on a run around my rural area and I was a little distressed to see lots of rubbish in the grass by the road verges. Drink cans, McDonalds wrappers (despite being 30kms from the nearest McDonalds) and other random bits of detritus were in abundance. It left me a little sad at the state of the nation.
As I was running along, the sight of all that rubbish got me thinking about my mate Jeremy. Now Jeremy is quite a thoughtful chap, but one who recognises and is at peace with the part he plays in the world. Jeremy doesn’t have lofty goals of fame and fortune, rather he’s focused on making his little part of the world better. Jeremy subscribes to the “tread lightly” mantra. He’s not tied up in a desire for immortality, just simply wants to have been net beneficial to the world when he shuffles off this mortal coil.
In his case, this comes out as a bit of a personal commitment to picking up rubbish. Many a day as I’m waiting for my running mates to join me on a weekday circuit or two of Hagley Park, I spy Jeremy out in his suit and tie (he’s a corporate guy, is Jeremy) walking along the street and picking up rubbish. He is the epitome of the Gandhi quote: “Be the change you want to see.”
Now I have to admit that I also see people looking at him strangely. He doesn’t look like a homeless person spying for treats in rubbish bins. He’s not how we’d usually describe a “greenie.” And he’s certainly acting in a way unlike most of his corporate colleagues.
I caught up with Jeremy the other day and was having a bit of a heart-to-heart with him about my own desire to leave a bit of a legacy. Now I’m not as good of a person as Jeremy is and some of what I do is inextricably linked to a desire for, if not immortality, at least an enduring legacy. I’m kind of OK with that since if, in seeking immortality, we can do some good stuff, then that seems win/win to me.
Anyway, I was talking to Jeremy about my angst about system change. Specifically, we were exploring whether top-down initiatives, like running for office or being involved in governance for an environmental group, are more effective than the grass-roots initiatives that often go unnoticed. For everyone pontificating and writing opinion pieces (yes, myself included) there are dozens of people like Jeremy out trapping predators, picking up rubbish, planting trees and the like.
So which, I wondered, is more effective? It seemed to me that the grass-roots initiatives were tangible and delivered visible results but that, in the face of a planet on fire, biodiversity armageddon and general environmental collapse, they are but drops in an ocean. Top-down initiatives, on the other hand, theoretically have far broader applicability and hence potential impact, but unfortunately often get bogged down in practicalities or unintended consequences.
And then Jeremy told me something interesting. It seems the organisation he works for, part of a multinational operation, heard of Jeremy’s endeavours and decided to roll out a bit of an initiative across the group to encourage all workers to keep the environs around their offices clean and pristine. It seemed like that simple grass-roots initiative started by one random dude had grown further and was now something that could have a real impact.
Now I shouldn’t get ahead of myself – who knows how enduring the organisation’s newfound focus on rubbish will be? Maybe next month they’ll move on to mindfulness, yoga or feeding the needy. But just for a moment, it felt like someone had, Gandhi-like, cracked the code on how a single voice can have a broad impact.
Now I’m fairly certain that Jeremy will blush at the thought of being compared to Gandhi, he’s not wired for that sort of flattery, but it’s an interesting thought. For myself, the truth is I like to balance grass-roots initiatives with higher-level ones. I love being involved in our local trapping group. I’m a big fan of planting trees around our rural village. I help out with our local Residents’ Association’s local improvement initiatives from time to time. But at the same time, I want to be a part of a bigger conversation and so I put my hand up to serve on boards trying to make a difference.
I’m not sure if anything I do will really make a difference – progress (either positive or negative) is fairly inexorable and I’m sure what will be, will be regardless of my futile attempts. But I came away from my coffee with Jeremy just a little bit inspired.
