IT’S UP TO EACH OF US TO MAKE OUR CITY A BETTER PLACE

“THE price of greatness is responsibility,” said Winston Churchill.

As citizens of the Gold Coast, we have an individual and collective responsibility to shape our city and to reflect on how our habits, actions and reactions play a significant role in its culture.

The recent habit-changing event we have witnessed is the removal of plastic bags at all retail outlets. Naturally, we are early adopters and the rapid move to a more responsible approach of bringing our own shopping bags to eliminate an unnecessary expense has occurred rapidly since its implementation at the beginning of last month.

We may reflect on this change introduced by law as an opportunity for the retailer to generate income. However, it is a welcome change that sees the alignment of three protagonists – the individual, the institution and the society – all vital for any effective shift in habit for the betterment of our environment.

This is a significant step forward in embracing a responsible approach to sustainability and reducing waste. Irrespective of the initial resistance or frustration from we, the consumers, ultimately we recognise that this is the right thing to do.

Adapting to this change quickly demonstrates that at the core of what we do, there is a yearning to be more responsible, yet it requires a law for society to change.

It highlights that our gradual increase in materialism and consumption has created a wasteful society.

Apathy or lack of responsibility and care has slowly crept into our lives throughout the generations, with abundance and the pursuit of “more” part of the Western lifestyle.

The attitude, if something is broken, is to quickly replace it instead of repairing it.

There is little consideration for where these disposed goods end up and the impact on the environment.

The expectation that future generations will have to deal with the ramifications of a careless and excessive lifestyle has become part of the modern economy, with manufacturers and retailers relying on overconsumption to support jobs growth.

The pursuit of materialism and consumption has made us ignorant about waste – the environmental costs, the depletion of precious resources, and how reckless shopping clutters our lives and wastes money.

We have developed a culture in which we can easily discard what we don’t need or use, especially when it comes to the perceived need to always stock our fridges with food that often is never used and thrown out each week.

The removal of plastic bags at a retail level heralds a small yet significant change in habit and hopefully it will spark a greater focus by each of us, irrespective of generation, along with organisations, to give more consideration to our attitude towards consumption and reducing waste.

As a nation, we need to explore why some of the Scandinavian countries with their frugal lifestyles have a better overall standard of living, with markers of quality education for all, better healthcare and a genuine sense of care between individuals. They are happier and have less crime, too.

Yet we should not wait for the nation to change our habits. It is our responsibility as individuals, institutions, local government and a society to adopt and instigate initiatives that contribute to a more prosperous city for the benefit of all.

Maybe this small habit change enforced through the removal of plastic bags is the trigger to reflect on other areas in our lives and whether our actions have a positive or negative impact on the environment.

We cannot look to others to rectify the bad habits we have allowed to creep into our lives.

Lasting community transformation takes place at community level, and the turning point starts with us.