ECO-EMBEDDED, which we first highlighted last summer, could also have been dubbed ECO-PEACE-OF-MIND:
“While the current good intentions of corporations and consumers are helpful, serious eco-results will depend on making products and processes more sustainable without consumers even noticing it, and, if necessary, not leaving much room for consumers and companies to opt for less sustainable alternatives. Which will often mean forceful, if not painful, government intervention, or some serious corporate guts, or brilliantly smart design and thinking, if not all of those combined. Think green buildings, or a ban on plastic bags or gas-guzzlers—anything that becomes truly embedded into daily life, and by default leaves no choice, no room for complacency.”
In fact, the regulation part of ECO-EMBEDDED has already been called the ‘fourth R’, adding to the three golden rules for individuals keen on a more sustainable lifestyle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
For a full overview, check out last year’s briefing, then keep an eye out for an avalanche of new regulation, whether it’s the EU demanding uniform phone chargers, or the Vancouver City Council decreeing the highest green standards for private sector development in North America, or California getting the green light to impose stricter limits on auto emissions. Regulation is one of the main reasons why ECO-BOUNTY will continue to build, recession or otherwise.
