With every successful movement that has come to fruition to date; the Women’s Liberation Movement, voting rights, LGBTQ movement, Black Lives Matter movement, and the Me Too movement to name a select few; so public opinion on the matters they were determine to break and eradicate has been stirred.
Cognitive dissonance, a term popularised in Leon Festinger’s 1957 study of a doomsday cult’s stubborn belief is known as the struggle we experience when we realise that to which we have grown to believe to be true is challenged with grappling new information, shattering our understanding of the world around us. What happens when an entire community, group or nation believe one gender, for example women, are inferior to the other? Or an entire race superior to the other? Understanding the attitudes of our neighbours in our local communities and neighbouring countries is key to mitigating any movement such as that of the zero-waste movement.
Public behaviour and attitudes plays a key role in developing and thriving goals in any one direction. For the purpose of this column, The Nanjinger went out on the streets of Nanjing to ask local Chinese citizens and expats what their attitude towards sustainability is in efforts to understand the zero-waste movement here, in our respective home of China.
When asked about her thoughts on sustainability, Flora Yang, a Chinese educator in Nanjing, directed the expectation to manufacturers and companies to address the issue of plastic pollution and unsustainable products to provide consumers with sustainable alternatives. One major reason she highlighted was the limits as to physical time on our hands as working citizens; “I think everybody is busy in this type of society. We want to do better but sometimes we don’t have the time to think about it”, suggesting that if given a better alternative, consumers would choose the more sustainable and healthier option.
Antoine Pienaar, a foreigner, also shared frustration with the overwhelming, infamous packaging China is known for; “I don’t personally want to use plastic, but everything is packaged in plastic. The major change needs to happen at a manufacturer level”, raising concern for consumers and their need to purchase goods, noting consumers are at the mercy of plastic-producing, unsustainable corporations.
A common attitude we found in our search for consumer attitudes on the issue was absent mindedness and lack of concern. Local citizen, Jennie Yang, targeted the lack of governmental efforts about the issue. Being good citizens is what we as locals and expats are expected to do. Government plays the leading role of the people it governs and a lack of clear goals, plans and support seems to be a factor affecting the attitude of locals. “We can make a big difference but not without the government”, claims Jennie Yang on the matter. “If the government wanted to do something, they need to give us what we need and show us what they can do. Not just expect us to do something with no follow up or support.”
One major frustration is the rubbish system in Nanjing, where bins are set in place for separating waste, but subsequently collected together, demonstrating an ineffective system of recycling. If local governments do not have a system to carry out initiatives such as waste collection, why should locals continue to make the effort in separating their waste. Effective regulations and restrictions have tampered the expectations and willingness of locals to support sustainable practices that help solve the problem.
Some conflicts between governments and corporations may also be a big influencer on the lack of effective solutions. Kate Fang notices the wastefulness of her country but acknowledges the conflict with which higher ups may be dealing. “We waste a lot of resources to make money, and the government wants our environment to be better but the factories just want to make money”, she says.The lack of interest on the powerful level over which manufacturers have control inevitably trickles down to the attitude of people, which is then demonstrated in collective behaviour that is quickly adopted as a social norm.
“I don’t really care about it”; Jennie Yang
“I don’t really think about it”; Hannah Yin
“I don’t pay much attention to it on a day to day basis”; Kate Fang
“As a teacher, I don’t have time to think of how to be sustainable when making crafts; I don’t have the time. And afterwards, I am tired so I don’t think its my job to do that too”; Flora Yang
Alas, we must keep our head up; raising awareness and rallying up consumers to adopt new habits, new attitudes and new expectations from their governments. It’s evident that the younger generations are understanding the current state of our planet, and the problems that contribute to the warming of our atmosphere. “The young population in China is very environmentally conscious, like older students care a lot about the environment”, shares Tanner Braithwaite, who teaches middle-school aged students, suggesting that the generation gap on environmental awareness is something China’s population shares with the West, where the older generations don’t care much and the younger generations care deeply. Fang shares, “I think this problem is very serious because some of my classmates are learning this through their major in Beijing”.
Education is key to unlocking old and normalised stereotypes and beliefs, but learners are not made for only the young or students in traditional schooling. Everyone, old and young, has the capacity to engage in learning and shift their perspectives to the needs of the current state of our environment. All it takes is the willingness to challenge ourselves and the bravery to deconstruct the very things we once thought were true; cognitive dissonance.
