Week 6 Reflection
After watching the talks given by Ray Anderson and Michael Porter, I really started to see the avenues for change were primarily through changes in systems. It seems that these people were suggesting that systems like business and government were the primary influencers in creating a future that is not destroyed by humans.
I thought that this was a unique perspective, and I would agree that these institutions have the most power in causing change and action. In a sense, they control both the behaviors of people, through products and policy, and the world views, by influencing trends and political groups. I also read the article “People use less energy when they think their neighbors care about the environment”. This opened my eyes to the idea that in order to spur change, there needs to be a collective effort among a mass of people. This idea paralleled those of Porter and Anderson. There needs to be institutional size alteration in order to create great change. Efforts of the individual, although heroic, provide small change, but not enough to save our future.
This prompted me to think about my own future. I will most likely go into some sort of corporation as an engineer. I will hopefully design the products that shape the overall image of that company. These talks and readings give me hope that eventually, I will have some power for mass change. I feel the higher up in the company I become, the more influence I will have to change the ideas and morals surrounding a product and potentially could influence the direction of the company.
One of my goals eventually, would be to gain enough experience in my field where I can start my own company, and create and produce my own product. From these talks and the article, I see how important it is that I take the values learned in this class and apply them to my career. If everything goes as planned, I would have a lot of power to commit the change in the future according to Porter and Anderson. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to wield it in a positive way for our climate.
