By Lynn Grinnell, PhD, LEED O+M
Sustainability is often considered by conservatives as a progressive or liberal cause, but it is a concept that aligns better with conservative values and principles. In fact, conservatives have a long history of environmental stewardship and social change. This blog aims to explore how conservatives can embrace sustainability while remaining true to your core beliefs.
Conservative Values and Sustainability
Conservatives value tradition, quality, personal responsibility, limited government, and faith. These values can be applied to the concept of sustainability in meaningful ways:
- Tradition. Conservatives do not toss out the wisdom from the past while still looking for innovative solutions for the future. Many times you can learn from history, using those lessons to avoid repeating the mistakes from the past. Many times, you can gain perspective from generations of leaders using time-tested traditions that actually work.
- Quality. Conservatives find value in quality products. Pioneers had to make wise use of resources and build or make things that lasted. “Waste not, want not” was the mantra that help people survive but also reduced trash and preserved a beautiful environment. Quality clothing and tools lasted a lifetime, unlike changing fashions each season or new computers every year or two.
- Personal Responsibility: One core tenet of conservatism is personal responsibility. This aligns perfectly with sustainability, as individuals have a key role to play in conserving resources and protecting the environment. Sustainable practices, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and supporting local businesses, empower individuals to take responsibility for their actions.
- Limited Government: Conservatives often advocate for limited government in people’s lives, recognizing that large government one-size-fits-all solutions cost a fortune, have unintended consequences that can even harm the situation more than it helps, and don’t actually solve the problem. Market-driven solutions, where individuals and businesses can voluntarily adopt eco-friendly and socially relevant practices and innovations without the need for heavy government regulation can often do more. The invisible hand of the market is more likely to find meaningful solutions.
Faith. Christian conservatives (a substantial subset of conservatives) believe we have been tasked with caring for creation and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Conservatives led the efforts on environmental concerns: starting the National Parks system, passing the Clean Air/Water Acts, and forest management initiatives. Conservatives also have a long history of instigating social change, whether it was abolitionists, the anti-slavery/anti-segregation Republicans, or, more recently, Empowerment zones. This multitude of efforts aligns perfectly with sustainability principles of balancing people, planet, and profit or prosperity.
Top Ten Sustainable Practices for Conservatives
Conservatives can embrace sustainability by incorporating these top ten practices into their daily lives:
- Energy Efficiency: You can buy energy-efficient appliances and vehicles, not only to save money but also to reduce resource use. And it also reduces your carbon footprint, if that’s important to you. As the great Charles Krauthammer once said, “I’m a global-warming agnostic who believes instinctively that it can’t be very good to pump lots of CO2 into the atmosphere…” Supporting innovation in this area aligns with conservative values of self-reliance and economic growth.
- Resource and waste reduction. Whether you are at work or at home, you can save up to 30% or more of your expenses by not buying what you don’t need, not wasting what you do need (by making mistakes and having to redo your task), and not tossing what can be repurposed or reused. Our grandparents did that all the time.
Local Sourcing: Support local farmers and businesses. Buying locally grown food and products not only boosts the local economy but also reduces the environmental impact of transportation and supports traditional small-scale agriculture.- Conservation: Engage in conservation efforts on private lands. Many conservatives are landowners. You can take pride in creating your own wildlife habitat in your backyards, preserving natural beauty, using native plants, and practicing sustainable forestry and agriculture. Hunters, you are often the best at conserving wildlife because of your close connection and love of nature and your practice of careful culling of herds.
- Innovation: Encourage, use, and invest in sustainable technologies and innovations that work. Conservatism is about fostering free-market solutions, and sustainable technologies can create new opportunities for economic growth and job creation.
- Volunteerism: Participate in local conservation projects and volunteer for organizations that promote sustainable practices. This embodies the conservative principle of individual initiative and community engagement.
- Community Involvement. Whether you are involved in churches, synagogues or other places of worship, or are involved in local civic or service groups, such as Rotary or Chambers of Commerce, getting truly involved in making a difference in your community will give you immense satisfaction.
- Open-minded Patriotism. Loving America does not mean accepting everything the country has done – we’ve had our dark days, not only with slavery but also with breaking of treaties with Native Americans and Jim Crow – but it does mean recognizing how much better this country is than so many others. I have been around the world and have never seen another country as tolerant, accepting, and supportive of minorities, women, and immigrants (maybe Scandinavia, which I have not visited, but it’s so cold there!) Be sure you are listening deeply to those who have deep concerns with our country. You may find they have a point, or you may not agree with them, but I’ll bet you can find common ground on solutions – like improving inner city schools or reducing abortions by avoiding pregnancies.
- Quality products. Buy the best quality product you can find, expecting to use it for many years. Don’t just throw it away when you’re done with it – donate, recycle, repurpose. And buy American (see #3)
- Common sense. Most practical sustainability practices are common sense. I had the opportunity to call in to Glenn Beck today, and his take was that sustainability issues may not resonate with conservatives like they do with liberals because it’s just common sense to conserve resources and care for the planet and each other. It’s in your nature. It’s part of your faith tradition.
Conservative sustainability is a call to action for conservatives to embrace eco-conscious practices while staying true to your core values. It involves accepting your personal responsibility to care for creation, advocating for limited government, and preserving tradition. By adopting sustainable practices and supporting market-driven solutions, you can play a significant role in honoring and conserving our best traditions while developing innovations that actually work, ensuring a prosperous, sustainable future for America. In doing so, we can demonstrate that sustainability is not the exclusive domain of any one ideology but a common cause that transcends political boundaries.
