Institute For The Future

Communities: Citizens of Sustainability

For years, advocates of sustainable corporate practices have focused on green marketing. They have documented a growing segment of consumers with so-called green values and have created high-value products that appeal to these consumers. This strategy has catapulted Whole Foods into a leadership role in retail food and has perhaps inspired Wal-Mart to follow suit. Over the next decade, though, these green consumers are likely to turn into “sustainable citizens,” as do-it-yourself attitudes, <layer id="google-toolbar-hilite-0" style="background-color: Yellow; color: black">smart</layer>-<layer id="google-toolbar-hilite-1" style="background-color: Cyan; color: black">networking</layer> skills, and a focus on personal and community health converge.

The underlying dilemma of sustainability is the tragedy of the commons: what seems rational for individuals adds up to a situation where everyone is worse off. A fundamental principle of cooperative strategy suggests a way to escape this dilemma: link personal self-interest to the good of the larger community.

In fact, personal health is emerging as that critical link. The 2006 Ten-Year Forecast Signals Survey points to a new “sustainable citizen” who sees local civic actions—as well as green consumerism—as part of a healthy lifestyle. For the sustainable citizen, working on personal health contributes to the overall health of the community.

Often though of as a rich nation’s issue, sustainability is increasingly linked to personal health concerns—and local community practices—in some of the poorest and most environmentally troubling places n the planet. In China, India, and Russia, IFTF ethnographic research suggests that, as a result of the Internet, and other media, families are more aware than ever of the effects of environmental change on their health. In Russia, some affluent families try to grow their own food to avoid environmental contaminants. A Chinese blog post on “poisonous street foods” drew over 670,000 viewers in just a few days, while in 2007 India was the third-largest source of organic foods worldwide.

Want to learn more? Read the 2007 Ten-Year Forecast perspective, Communities: Citizens of Sustainability. You’ll find an interview conducted by IFTFs own Bob Johansen with Monica Mullins, Vice President of Asset Production, Safety and Compliance for Wal-Mart’s Logistics Division.