海角大神

Moscow鈥檚 urban professionals for many years have been willing to surrender political activism in exchange for material gains. But the protests roiling the city in recent weeks show a political reawakening.

鈥淭he past is never dead,鈥� William Faulkner wrote. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not even past.鈥� Many communities are wrestling with that lesson today, as they debate what to do with Confederate monuments 鈥� underscoring how their meaning is shaped by the 21st century as much as the 19th.

Immigration policy usually speaks to a nation鈥檚 values. In her historical documentary 鈥淣obody Wants Us,鈥� filmmaker Laura Seltzer-Duny wants to 鈥渉elp create empathy for refugees 鈥� then and now.鈥�

Social service organizations can be a lifeline for individuals who are struggling. But Marvin DeJear鈥檚 Evelyn K. Davis Center shows that they can strengthen whole communities 鈥� one person at a time.

When urban planning, laws, and enforcement lag behind community needs, people find their own solutions. But the problems might just get bigger.

A year ago, the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu become the first country to ban plastic drinking straws. It also joined dozens of other countries that have restricted use of plastic shopping bags. And later this year, it will again be a global leader with a ban on disposable diapers that include plastic material. It certainly deserves credit for taking these steps, especially as they spurred other Pacific nations to follow suit.

Yet where Vanuatu really stands out is how its leaders pitched this environmental cause.

Yes, they cited the plastic pollution washing up on Vanuatu鈥檚 shores, choking both wildlife and tourism. The country鈥檚 nearly 300,000 people spread over 65 islands could easily notice such problems. Leaders also spoke of the need for collective sacrifice and daily inconvenience, especially for parents who will have to give up their current type of diapers. And yes, resistance to the bans continues.

But what they really played up well were potential gains in economic benefits, cultural traditions, and other aspects of social well-being. It was a reminder to environmentalists of the limits of using fear and loss as sole motivators to change personal behavior or badger governments into action.

Vanuatu is still tallying up the benefits to its economy from the bans, especially in tourism. But it has already seen one effect: the revival of traditional woven bags made of natural fiber to replace plastic bags. 聽鈥淭he more we use them, the more we encourage our cultural art of weaving, in turn strengthening the cultural heritage of Vanuatu,鈥� says the country鈥檚 first lady, Estella Moses Tallis. The country has become an innovator in finding many alternatives to plastic, notably in trying to design biodegradable diapers. One inventor has created water taps made of bamboo instead of plastic pipes.

Too many eco-causes are framed as a choice between self-interest and the greater good of society. 鈥淚t worries me to see pro-environmental action being equated with personal sacrifice,鈥� says Kate Laffan, a behavioral scientist at University College Dublin. She says a growing body of research suggests that, rather than posing a threat to individuals, the adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle 鈥渞epresents a pathway to a more satisfied life.鈥�

The morality of an environmental cause lies not in what it is against but what it is for, especially values that elevate people鈥檚 thinking. A recent study at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia looking at 39 pro-environmental behaviors found 37 were linked to life satisfaction.

This approach isn鈥檛 positive thinking. Rather it is positive results, or just the kind of pitch that Vanuatu promised and is delivering in its plastic bans.