Reflections on the Meaning of IMPACT
By: Alana Joldersma
Now that the magazine is wrapping up, I wanted to take a minute and reflect on what this year’s theme means to me. If you read my last article on greenwashing, then you kind of know where this one is going and where my reflection stands.
Arguments aside, we’re living in a time where the planet is degrading and heating at an unprecedented rate. It’s a daunting problem we face that I’ve found myself overly-attentive toward. Whether that stemmed from my love for nature and animals or just the imminent threat it poses against all of us as individuals, it’s something I think about everyday and loom over for hours on end.
It’s pretty clear that there are about 30 big companies that make up most of the pollution on the planet, most of them being oil companies and large agricultural farms. So how can I, just one of nearly 8 billion people, make a difference? I’ve dabbled with a lot of different things like veganism and going zero-waste. I’ve adopted many practices and integrated them within my own everyday practices. I’ve cut my water and carbon footprints by cutting down on meat and dairy, by biking and carpooling, and shopping secondhand and ethical. Yet everyday, I still see more and more articles about the state of our planet worsening.
I have heard the notion that individuals can’t make a difference. I get why people think ditching the plastic straw or cutting down on certain dietary practices is seen counterproductive. I get why people look at me funny when I decide to bring my own to-go boxes and think of me to be a crazy hippie who probably thinks they’re making a huge difference. For a while, it got to me, and I had no desire to keep trying so hard.
And that’s when it hit me. As an individual, I might not be making an impact. But if I can set any kind of example and inspire one person to cut down on single-use plastics or meat by my own practices, then I’ve done my job. The point isn’t to make a change and an impact as an individual. Our consumerist society is driven by demand of products. A big reason single-use plastics are still so relevant and vegan/vegetarian options still sparse is because of the demand there is for these things. Ditching the plastics is so difficult as consumers because it’s what we’re used to, and the big companies keep cranking them out because it makes profit. Vegan/vegetarian options are still so hard to find in many parts of the country because it’s still seen to be radical — it’s a change from something we’re all used to, and a minority of people choose those kinds of diets, hence the lower demand.
I don’t want this to turn into Over-Simplified-Economics 101. My point is that impact comes in many shapes and forms. I think so many of us get caught in the gargantuan side of impact, thinking that we have to literally change the world and course of history like Martin Luther King Jr., Charles Darwin, and so many other various leaders throughout time.
Hearing all these perspectives on what impact means to others and seeing how other writers here at InPrint have interpreted what impact is has really changed my perspective on the subject. So yes, I’ll keep using my stainless steel straws instead of the single use plastic ones and getting sofritas at Chipotle rather than chicken. It might be a small step, but impact counts on every small step it took to get to the substantial change.
