Speaking of Sustainability

When I was asked to speak at the MIT Enterprise Forum on “green business” a couple of months ago, I took my usual tack in such situations, i.e., getting my audience to examine its thinking on the larger issues associated with the sustainability of our civilization. I like to make this the ultimate whirlwind tour, blasting through dozens of different ways of viewing the problem and contemplating realistic solutions.  Here are a few bullets:

• Given what we know about anthropology, is humankind up to the task of fashioning our society in such a way that future generations will not be born into a toxic, resource-depleted environment?

• Is capitalism compatible with sustainability?

• What role do our large corporations play in creating a sustainable civilization? How does that mesh with our responsibilities as consumers?

• What will it take to make environmentalism a powerful social trend?

• Is it technologically feasible to decarbonize our energy mix?

• What do we need to know about the production and consumption of red meat?

• What can we learn by looking at sustainability through the lens of moral philosophy?

• How is the chemistry and structure of our brains a determiner on our outlook on sustainability?

I’m a fairly decent public speaker, but I know I’m not Winston Churchill—and thus I try to make up for whatever shortcoming I have as an orator with content that I think will engage the audience.  It’s a challenge I accept with relish.