Sustainability: Tough to teach old dogs new tricks

recycling bins Another response to Dave Johnson's January issue editorial on taking personal responsibility for sustainability:

Interesting article. Do most people change with the changing times? My guess is, probably not, and sustainability, in all its many definitions, is another one of those topics where most people say that is something someone or some government should be doing but I don't have much time and I am too selfish and lazy to make any changes. Look how many years recycling has taken to catch on.

It’s tough to teach old dogs and cats new tricks.

The younger generation always seems to lead the way. They see the future quite well. They have not had the chance yet to have their thoughts clouded and corrected by their material possessions, their old habits and their fears.

Many of us boomers tend to live in the past. This is not just related to boomers, though. Each older generation tends to want to rest on their laurels instead of continue to forge ahead into new uncharted territories and ideas. This is not to say that all of us are like this, but a good portion of us are.

Challenging the status quo is what makes us grow as a species. Doing the same ole same ole just helps it take longer to get to where we all know we should be.

Look at cell phones and texting (not on point with the topic but a good analogy). Everyone thinks they can talk, eat, text, read the newspaper and mail, add some sunscreen or eyeliner, and still get to work without negatively impacting their own life or many lives around them.

I was coming back from FLA yesterday on Interstate 95 and even my mother was beginning to quickly figure out what cars and trucks were on the cell phones talking and texting. You didn't need to see the driver doing it, you just needed to see what the car or tractor-trailer was or was not doing. In the span of about 50 miles we must have seen 35-50 cars and 25 trucks weaving, driving too slow (on a 70 mph interstate) and drive off onto the shoulders at 70 mph.

Bottom line in my mind is that we all need to look real hard in the mirror and see why we don't progress any faster as a species.

I guess I am tough on the young homo sapiens.

Happy New Year.

Aaron Chen is the Global Product Steward/Senior Industrial Hygienist for the DuPont Clean and Disinfect businesses. He is a certified industrial hygienist and has a masters degree in public health from Tulane University. Aaron presently is a member of AIHA, ASSE, The Health Physics Society and diplomate of ABIH. He is a member of the Joint Industrial Hygiene Ethics Education Committee as well as member of AIHA. Practice Standards and Guidelines Committee and Stewardship and Sustainability Committee. He also is communications director of the Delaware AIHA Local Section. He can be reached at 302-695-4332 or aaron.chen-1@usa.dupont.com.