Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
This growth entails respecting traditional ecological knowledge, recognizing the
importance of widespread diffusion of knowledge and understanding about the new
innovation and a democratic system in which learning and communication can occur
freely. Finally, for Radjou, Prabhu and Ahuja (2012), jugaad is something that can
help conventional companies too in their mainstream activity and in intensifying
their commitment to corporate responsibility. This can take place though the delivery
of economies of scope, when companies need to customize solutions to the needs of
specific but multiple market segments in varied and diverse environments; by providing
'soft' capital through releasing the enthusiasm and creative instincts of employees,
business partners and customers; and by enhancing flexibility, adaptability and
versatility, and by enabling the improvisational use of limited resources.
Production and consumption: the logic of sufficiency
For Thomas Princen (2002, 2005), one major problem confronting contemporary
society in any attempt to become more ecologically sustainable is the emphasis placed
on production rather than consumption. If cars pollute, then we produce catalytic
converters and more fuel-efficient engines. If traffic is congested, we produce more
road signals and more roads. If suburban growth becomes too extensive, we promote
'smart growth'. If flooding destroys property, we produce better flood defences. If
aquifers are depleted, we sink deeper wells. And so on. The alternative is to develop
an ecological conception of economic activity that incorporates environmental
consideration as integral to both the analysis of economic practice and the practice
itself - 'goods may be good but cautious consuming is better' (Princen, 2002: 27).
People need to produce goods and services in order to live, to engage with others in
society, and to secure a decent standard and quality of life, but not all of people's
needs have to be met through the purchase of commercially produced goods and
services. One problem is that the simple consumption of material goods, particularly
consumer goods, does not satisfy socially constructed wants and needs for any length
of time. Advertisers promise more than the goods are able to deliver, and many are
instantly disposable, not least because of fashion, but also because their functionality
is either superseded by new developments or they just break down. For design critics
like Jonathan Chapman (2005), the problem is partly one of design: users and purchasers
rarely relate emotionally to the product. Design does not generally elicit an emotionally
durable commitment or connection. We dispose of things, of stuff, because we basically
do not care about what we throw away. Non-purchase decisions also need to be
factored in, as it is quite possible for many people to secure a healthy diet by growing
some produce themselves, to enjoy music by playing an instrument with others rather
than buying a CD or purchasing a download. It is quite possible to meet some needs
without increasing economic and material throughput. In other words, it is quite
possible to develop an ecological economics that relates biophysical conditions with
human behaviour by simply focusing on various aspects of the appropriation and
application of energy resources and materials for production and consumption.
Obviously, consumption is necessary for the survival of any and every species on
the planet. There is clearly a necessary background level of consumption. But ecological
economics suggests that human consumption can lead to problems if there is too
much of it (over-consumption, excessive throughput) or where consumption is mis-
directed (misconsumption). Unlike other species, humans can reflect on their actions
