Eco-friendly purchasing and consumption, responsible communication, social responsibility… these are all everyday terms whose common thread is responsibility. All these events and/or initiatives that claim to be eco-friendly ultimately lead us to question the deeper meaning of this concept. Often confused with «carbon neutrality» or the «zero waste» principle, eco-responsibility aims as much to preserve and enhance the environment as it does to contribute to improved working conditions and economic development.
From Carbon Neutrality… to Environmental Responsibility
Carbon neutrality
Let’s take the example of a so-called «carbon-neutral» or «zero-carbon» event; its sole purpose is to reduce the environmental impact of carbon. In other words, given that an event’s environmental impact stems primarily from its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—which result from participants’ transportation—the goal of a carbon-neutral event is to minimize sources of pollution by meeting the following criteria:
- reduce GHG emissions by choosing a nearby location that is accessible by public transportation and suitable for carpooling…
- develop a calculation grid to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the event; ;
- offset these emissions by purchasing carbon credits or planting trees, for example.
Zero Waste
A so-called «zero-waste» event aims to minimize the amount of waste it generates. To achieve this, the 3RV-E principle is used, which stands for: reduce at the source, reuse, recycle, recover, and… dispose of.
For example, if we want to avoid wasting paper, we’ll first use the Internet to share information (reduction at the source). If this method proves impossible or does not yield the desired results, reuse sheets that have already been used, or recycle the newly used paper, and then compost it. If all these steps are impossible to take or achieve, the last resort is to dispose of the paper—that is, to throw it directly into the trash after its single use.
Environmental Responsibility
Environmental responsibility ultimately encompasses all the strategies outlined above, but it also aims to generate positive externalities by promoting local and/or fair trade.
It is worth noting that eco-responsibility is also known by two other terms: «environmental responsibility» and «human responsibility in the home,» which highlights the breadth of this concept.
An in-depth exploration of the human and social dimensions of this concept will be the focus of the next article…
Sévrine RANDOL, Pascal SAFFACHE
