In the second presidential debate, a woman asked the candidates to describe the sacrifices they would ask Americans to make if they were elected. Since World War II, our nation has been a beacon of increased convenience and choice, so the idea of sacrifice can seem almost unnatural. Businesses have focused on giving consumers more and managing costs by buying materials in volume.
Still, with the specter of another economic depression looming, it may be important that we bring back some of our historical grit and ingenuity. Although it may rub against the grain for some Americans, I'd still like to see us finding ways to make do with less. In this post, I will focus on some of the sacrifices needed to protect our natural environment.
We need to challenge the assumption that we can travel wherever we want, whenever we want. If we could set targets for ourselves to limit travel that has negative impacts on air quality, this could be a different planet in 20 years.
Employers can play an important role in influencing the decisions that their employees make about travel. For example, my husband's employer offers subsidies to those who take public transportation to work, rather than driving. They also allow many employees to work from home once a week. Four day work weeks have many benefits. What if they also asked employees to limit air travel for work? Companies could keep track of air miles traveled, with an aim of reducing them by 10% per year until a reasonable minimum is reached. They might also adopt policies for hotel selection based not only on short-term affordability, but also on longer-term environmental sustainability.
If we choose to reduce car and air travel, then those segments of our manufacturing economy will be affected. The hotel industry will also be reshaped, and the number of hotels will in all likelihood decrease. This means we will be making tough decisions, and will need to face up to the need to find different kinds of employment for many in the travel and hospitality industries.
Without these sacrifices, though, we will leave our children a greatly depleted nation. It's time to give up some convenience for the greater good.
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