Whether you're a company, a government, or an ordinary person trying to do the right thing, there are three basic kinds of environmental action you can take:
1) Do less harm.
2) Do no harm.
3) Figure out a way to improve the world we live in.
In the four decades that environmental issues have been part of the public conversation, most of the world has made the first two choices. Now, the time has come for a better way, and to celebrate Earth Day, we'd like to hear your ideas on the subject.
To see where we need to go, we must look at where we've been. While doing less harm is the easiest to make of the three choices, it's also the least effective. Doing less harm means that we still damage our planet's life support systems. We just do it more slowly. That's why we're still struggling with the same environmental challenges.
The middle option involves doing no harm. Here we stop causing damage and zero out any lingering impacts we create. We choose sustainable technologies, renewable materials, and clean energy. We buy offsets for the pollution we can't prevent. This is a generally positive strategy. Yet it only succeeds in preventing further erosion of the ecosphere. The damage that's been done remains.
And so we come to our third choice and the one we want your thoughts on. This is the path of regeneration. Regeneration involves taking actions that actually improve and enhance the Earth. Think of a car that not only produces no pollution but actually cleans the atmosphere as you drive.
That's regeneration, and it's what we need to get us where we need to go. We must build a regenerative world whose many elements prevent further environmental damage while healing the harm that's been done. The only question is how, and that's where you come in. To celebrate Earth Day, we want to collect your regenerative ideas. What technologies and strategies do we need? What are you doing today that's regenerative? What can we all do tomorrow?
Post your ideas in the comments section below. Then look for a special Earth Day post where we'll explore the results of this online brainstorming session.
