The Road Less Travelled: A Manifesto for Pragmatic Sustainability
In order to solve the intricate challenges we face today, I believe that the current standardised "one-size-fits-all" approach of “best practices” is casting the net too wide and missing the mark. The current methodology isn't fit for a systemic and complex interconnected system.
In a human world of tradeoffs and unintended consequences, we need to stop putting on band-aids and making other wounds in the process. We need a pragmatic approach to sustainability that considers and benefits all the stakeholders in the system.?
Rather than solely focusing on climate change, a pragmatic view encompasses a broader range of environmental and social challenges. The world is diverse, and sustainable development demands constant adaptation to changing conditions. This means that strategies may differ based on geography, culture, economic systems, and other contextual factors.
The tools for achieving sustainability are not limited to technoscientific solutions or market-based strategies; instead, the approach is inherently pluralistic, recognising the need for multiple perspectives and methods.
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Moreover, the approach emphasizes transdisciplinary conversation, incorporating insights from various fields like architecture, business, economics, engineering, history, philosophy, and planning. It aims to focus on the long-term consequences of actions, rather than their immediate impacts or their alignment with any particular framework, ideology, or discipline.
Overall, pragmatic sustainability is about finding practical, adaptable, and context-sensitive solutions that account for both environmental and social complexities. It seeks to forge a path toward sustainability that is rooted in real-world applicability and is open to continuous learning and adaptation.
I look forward to sharing my bite-size unconventional and sometimes counterculture thoughts on some of the most important ESG and sustainability news stories, breakthroughs, opinions, and analyses. I hope my articles will form common ground for us to wrangle with the ever-changing challenges and opportunities along the path towards sustainability and what lies beyond.
Director at Environment-Africa Independent Sustainability Consultants (Pty) Ltd
1 年YES!
Co-founder Incite | Sustainability Practitioner | African Diviner
1 年Thanks Kev. You may well find this road better-travelled than you thought. Sadly, you'll also find that few of your fellow travellers are sustainability practitioners. I've often wondered why so few of us are familiar with the #Cynefin Framework which clarifies whether best practice is appropriate or not. (It is appropriate some of the time; it is not appropriate all of the time. It's important to know the difference. For those not familiar with the framework and the work of Dave Snowden, see: https://www.incite.co.za/how-cynefin-can-boost-your-sustainability-career/). Two reasons I've come up with are: (1) Many of us are trained in systems thinking and we make the mistake of assuming that this is the same as complexity thinking; and (2) The fact that nature and society are complex adaptive systems leads us erroneously to assume that all the work we do as sustainability practitioners is complex. Step one is to recognise that we need new tools. Step two is having the guts to toss out some of our old tools. #2 is difficult when our clients love our linear tools, like 'maturity matrices' and 'roadmaps' that can be measured by 'milestones'. Don't hesitate! Based on my experience, it's worth the pain all round.
Sustainability Consulting, Planning, Design & Project Management @ THE SUSTAINABLE LIFE PROJECT
1 年Yes ... We must return to the mimicking of nature in all its creativity including the underlying structural unity
Founder, CEO & Creative Director @ The Ethical Agency – providing creative and marketing support to organisations who care about people & planet. Creative Director: Mail & Guardian, The World Bank
1 年Kevin James Insightful and inspiring... looking forward to reading more...