Bridging the gap

Sustainability is becoming more affordable. Sustainability principles can be applied to more areas of our lifestyles. There is an increasing number of professionals available to provide advice and technical solutions in sustainability, and more businesses that cater to the need for sustainable products and services.

Sustainability is more accessible to the general public than it has ever been before. So why does it still feel like such a struggle to "sell" sustainability to members of the general public and to professionals that are not already involved in it?

As the number of "greener" cars increases, as more people have energy audits on their homes with the intention of making them more energy efficient, as the demand increases for "greener" product, and as organic products become more mainstream, one would think that sustainability would be gaining momentum. That new conversions, and converts, would come more easily.

But the reality is that the numbers are still small. More often than not, supply exceeds demand, and there is a feeling for many that the low-lying fruit has been picked.

The good news is that there are huge markets out there. Greener homes, greener cars, greener food, greener household products... all of them have such inroads to make into the general population. This huge potential is the incentive for providers/suppliers of green products and services for be perseverant. But there is still so much work to be done. There is still a gap to be bridged between those that find sustainability an urgent matter and those that do not, and it's not a small one.

It's not a small one because the gap is composed of a number of traps. Global warming has been so politicized. Up-front costs of sustainable solutions are still higher in most cases. Long-term savings are not often clearly, or credibly, presented. Benchmarks are far and few between. And being confused, or worse, burned, by greenwashing just makes people tune out.

Three factors will be key in a faster adoption of sustainability as a business standard and lifestyle common sense: education, performance measurements, and accountability.

Numbers and measurements provide a tangible sense of what is to be gained. If a non-sustainable benchmark can be used for contrast, all the better. Yes, there are many variables out there... maybe the summer will be warmer, and the family moving into a new home will like to keep the temperature lower, so the energy cost may have an element of uncertainty. But potentially bad driving habits, uncertain mileage, and the varying cost of gas, do not prevent cars in the showroom from having a sticker on them with an estimated mpg and cost of gas for one year. It remains that with some numbers based on what is an applicable average, the consumer will be able to make a decision based on comparison of those averages.

Accountability is necessary in order to be sure that the measurements provided are valid, and the justifications are based on good science. If measurements are to make a difference in the decision-making process of the consumer, and eventually, in the rate of adoption of sustainability by society, they have to be accurate and standardized. And this may mean that accountability needs to be enforced. In fact, it is likely that regulatory authority will be required for both measurements and accountability.

And finally, education establishes the means for communication. A certain level of "sustainability literacy" will help consumers understand the issues, the methods, and the solutions. It can provide a common language for people, experts and novices alike, to talk about and understand sustainability, and it can provide guide posts for people to make decisions.

The famous saying goes "Build it, and they will come". But sometimes, it is not enough to build it... because not enough of them will come. This is one of those situation where we must go out and pull them in. And if we do that, then it is important to have listened to, and understood, why they did not come in the first place, and to make sure we address their concerns. Providing a certain level of education on sustainability issues, providing measurements (preferably with benchmarks), and insuring a high-level of accountability will go a long way in addressing those concerns.