PrintThink Globally, Act Locally?
Required Reading
Working Toward Sustainability: Ethical Decision Making in a Technological World, Chapter 4, section on "Thinking Globally, Acting Locally" (p.76-78). This text is available to registered students via the Penn State Libraries.
I'm sure you've heard the saying "Think globally, act locally!" but have you actually thought about what that means? The concept, originally used in the context of environment and sustainability, has now been widely customized for use when discussing brand proliferation in other countries. If you Google "Think globally, act locally" you will find a plethora of articles about how to customize products to be desired by those in a new geographic marketplace (e.g., the Chicken Maharaja Mac, the most popular McDonald's dish in India). When considering the original context, the use of the phrase "think globally, act locally" to promote consumables (especially mass-produced fast food) is nearly blasphemy!
Do you ever wonder if the efforts you make at home and in your local community make a difference when considering the big picture? Page 76 of our reading states that "...in order to pursue sustainability effectively, people must concern themselves first and foremost with the local communities in which they live and work." Alternatively, critics of localized efforts note that "Encouraging people to focus on local problems may lead them to ignore the larger contexts in which those problems have developed." (Kibert et al., 2012)
For many of us, the simple, home-based and regional efforts represent the most direct route to make a difference. It may be the only way we're able to be an activist for sustainability. If we're only able to participate by recycling, using mass transit, and eating less meat, does that make us insignificant in the fight against climate change? As the authors of our textbook state, "Ultimately, the pursuit of sustainability must always be Janus-faced, with one eye turned toward the local community and one eye turned toward the world community." (Kibert et al., 2012, 76-77)