MARCH 2022
Interview with Cinta Azwiendasari
What's your perspective on the importance of individual action in conservation and sustainability?
I think individuals’ personal behaviours have huge power to mitigate environmental harm and encourage a more sustainable environment - but individual efforts alone are not enough. We need to have systemic improvements to create meaningful change in conservation and sustainability. This is where I believe in the power of domino effect. If we think about the individual sphere of influence, there are many facets of our everyday decisions that can have an impact on our personal circle; our social network; organization/ communities; to the general public. The more we take it further, the bigger the impact will be. It is therefore good to remember that our efforts to overcome individuals’ behaviour should not only motivate them to behave sustainably in their personal sphere, but also inspire them to participate in collective efforts to change the larger system.
How can individuals encourage their families and friends to adopt more sustainable behaviours?
First of all, individuals should start by setting an example. Second, to make it fun and easy. Third, to make it popular/ attractive.
Many sustainable movements that have been successful started out this way. This is certainly true for our current generation, where trends are driven often by what we see on social media. What we see on certain platforms can influence our perception of what is important, and if done right, can become a powerful tool to create sustainable change. The challenge is often how to maintain it and not only keep it for certain moment only. In the end, consistency is always key.
What barriers do you think prevent people from eating more healthy and sustainable diets?
I think it really depends on the context. For example, in many rural areas around the world, people live with a mostly green diet, relying on what's available in their surroundings and consider eating meat as luxury for special occasions. In this case, the barrier might be in having access to learn sustainable farming practices, cook healthy (with non-toxic appliances), or to get access to proper knowledge on this topic. This context can be very different from situations in urban areas, where some of the main barriers might be price, taste or accessibility.
The Veganism movement in Indonesia was largely driven by a collective action from businesses and individuals that have become influential opinion leaders. As a result, the number of individuals in cities adopting this lifestyle, along with more vegan restaurants opening, has been rapidly growing in the past 5 years.
I think individuals’ personal behaviours have huge power to mitigate environmental harm and encourage a more sustainable environment - but individual efforts alone are not enough. We need to have systemic improvements to create meaningful change in conservation and sustainability. This is where I believe in the power of domino effect. If we think about the individual sphere of influence, there are many facets of our everyday decisions that can have an impact on our personal circle; our social network; organization/ communities; to the general public. The more we take it further, the bigger the impact will be. It is therefore good to remember that our efforts to overcome individuals’ behaviour should not only motivate them to behave sustainably in their personal sphere, but also inspire them to participate in collective efforts to change the larger system.
How can individuals encourage their families and friends to adopt more sustainable behaviours?
First of all, individuals should start by setting an example. Second, to make it fun and easy. Third, to make it popular/ attractive.
Many sustainable movements that have been successful started out this way. This is certainly true for our current generation, where trends are driven often by what we see on social media. What we see on certain platforms can influence our perception of what is important, and if done right, can become a powerful tool to create sustainable change. The challenge is often how to maintain it and not only keep it for certain moment only. In the end, consistency is always key.
What barriers do you think prevent people from eating more healthy and sustainable diets?
I think it really depends on the context. For example, in many rural areas around the world, people live with a mostly green diet, relying on what's available in their surroundings and consider eating meat as luxury for special occasions. In this case, the barrier might be in having access to learn sustainable farming practices, cook healthy (with non-toxic appliances), or to get access to proper knowledge on this topic. This context can be very different from situations in urban areas, where some of the main barriers might be price, taste or accessibility.
How can we break down these barriers?
Various insights from behaviour science have shown that gradual, incremental change to achieve goals work. It is said that individuals make 35.000 decisions a day, with 226 of them about food alone. With this in mind, being able to consciously make small changes in decisions every day - even if starting with only one out of the 226 - is already a good enough start to change food habits and hopefully make it feel rewarding in the long run.
The Veganism movement in Indonesia was largely driven by a collective action from businesses and individuals that have become influential opinion leaders. As a result, the number of individuals in cities adopting this lifestyle, along with more vegan restaurants opening, has been rapidly growing in the past 5 years.
Have you seen a business or government changing their behaviour based on the demands and actions of individuals?
Yes. I think this is certainly the case for the plastic issue.