I found Antonios’s talk to be quite educational into the broad extent of the word “sustainability”, and how the UAE has been seeking a more sustainable future, which could serve as an example for other countries into what to do and what not. For instance, I was not previously aware of the possible initiatives, such as the Ghadan 21 grant, that would help to tackle problems regarding the cities infrastructure. Another aspect that was new to me were the active efforts in tackling the urban heat island effect. I didn’t even know there were natural and flexible solutions to this problem, and it was very insightful to learn that here in Abu Dhabi there is already a “small” (considering the budget of the project) effort to reduce its impact. Another implied but very powerful lesson from this talk was the effect that the coronavirus pandemic has had in so many different and complicated aspects of our society; where it not only was affecting our lifestyle, but it has also delayed efforts towards a more sustainable future in ways I was not previously aware of. In a way, it is a reminder that if we want to change into a more sustainable society, we should start now, because these challenges, such as global pandemics or climate crisis, are only going to get more frequent and more unmanagable.
Another topic of the talk that interested me was the sustainability action on NYUAD, and what we need to understand in order to move forward. I remember my classmate Hannah Greene pointing out the difference between starting projects on campus to create actual change or just for the sake of “green washing”. This made me question if many of the efforts I have seen are actually relevant to the discussion for sustainability or not, while at the same time taught me there are plenty of small changes I could start doing now, such as getting a reusable mug when getting coffee. There was, however, something in Antonios’s response to Hannah’s question I do not quite share. He suggested that in order to create real change to this very complex challenges we should start with the small things, but I feel this approach can be a misleading, if not dangerous focus to the problem. I do not see why individual change should not be accompanied simultaneously by institutional action, where the individuals can buy less bottled water while at the same time pushing for an alternative to the amount of water bottles imported to the University store, and which policies or alternatives can be given to reduce or at the very least recognize this problem.
Hey Kevin!
Thank you for this insightful post. I was also shocked by the Ghadan movement and that we can actually change how we feel by changing a few aspects about parks such as using reflective colors, misting, etc. However, I disagree with the point you have mentioned about small changes. We can get started by focusing on small steps. They aren’t overwhelming. Then inertia takes over, and once we’re moving, it’s much easier to keep going. Tiny, consistent measures add up. Success feeds on itself. Small measures add up to big profits, much like compound interest. It’s easier to keep going once we get started and see some early results. These small measures will help you reduce the risk while still increasing your chances of success. We can avoid decision fatigue by taking small steps. Small steps also help us better balance our cognitive load, giving us more headspace to cope with all of our other ideas and plans. Finally, taking small measures will assist us in better managing distraction. The less resistance we have to multitasking, a damaging habit, the more success we’ll have with each small move.