1. 26.3.2012
Dr. Arto O. Salonen
arto.salonen (at) metropolia.fi

2. 1. Balancing aspects of sustainability
2. How to make a positive impact to our common future?
 Nurture human dignity and social participation
 Expand a sphere of responsibility
 Apply systems thinking
 Define how much is enough
3. Eco-social consciousness as a driver of societal change

3. Balancing aspects of
sustainability

4. SUSTAINABLE Human rights
DEVELOPMENT People
Robust economy Vital ecosystems
Profit Planet
BUT…

5. ECONOMIC
GROWTH
Profit
HUMAN
RIGHTS
People
VITAL
ECOSYSTEMS
Planet
?

6. SITUATION TODAY?
An irresponsible search for short-term
benefits without regard for the long-term
consequences
If we do not change direction we will end
up exactly where we are headed.
-Chinese proverb

7. Energy solution is a social challenge
The most of energy (85-90 %) is produced by fossil fuels.
Every terawatt hour of electricity generated with European coal
causes 0.12 deaths because of accidents in mines, 25 deaths due to
pollution and 225 cases of serious illness
 In 2010 social costs of CO2 were 43 bigger than the official price of
CO2. “If the damages per ton of carbon dioxide are that high, then
almost anything that reduces emissions is worth doing“
(Ackerman & Stanton 2011, 4).
 Three-quarters of climate change is man-made. 150 000-350 000
people die every year because of climate change. 99% of them are
children
_______
Ackerman, F. & Stanton, E. (2011). Climate Risks and Carbon Prices: Revising the Social Cost of Carbon. Somerville, MA, Stockholm Environment
Institute-US.
Huber, M & Knutti, R. (2011). Anthropogenic and natural warming inferred from changes in Earth’s energy balance. Nature Geoscience. Available
www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1327.html Energy is the biggest challenge
DARA (2010). The Climate Vulnerability Monitor 2010. The State of the Climate Crisis. 2010 report of the Climate Vulnerability Initiative. Dara and
the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
Markandya, A & Wilkinson, P. (2007.) Electricity generation and health. The Lancet 370(9591), 979-990 . S
Sale, P. (2011). Our Dying Planet. An Ecologist's View of the Crisis We Face. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
UNDP (2008). Human Development Report 2007–2008. Fighting climate change. Human solidarity in a divided world. New York: United Nations
Development Programme.

8. CULTURE
Vital ecosystems,
planet
Human
rights,
people
Robust
economy,
profit
Staying within planetary boundaries is the most important thing in
the long run
___________
Baker, S. (2006). Sustainable development. London: Routledge.
Giddings, B., Hopwood, B. & O'Brien, G. (2002). Environment, economy and society: fitting them together into sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 10(4), 187–196.
Hediger, W. (1999) Reconciling “weak” and “strong” sustainability. International Journal of Social Economics, 26(7/8/9), 1120–1144.
Ott, K. (2003). The Case for Strong Sustainability. In: Ott, K. & P. Thapa (eds.) Greifswald’s Environmental Ethics. Steinbecker Verlag.

9. Free energy and
Fossil fuels ENERGY renewable energy
sources
Recycling,
Huge amount of waste MATERIAL MANAGEMENT
composting, taking
care of hazardous
waste
Maximizing of Building of
WELL-BEING PARADIGM relationships
consumption

11. How to make a
positive impact
to our common
future?

12. 1 Nurture human dignity
and social participation
Human dignity is based on the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
 Our sentiments of mutual belonging
and shared responsibility for a
common future have weakened?
 We are responsible for each other's
well-being (vitality, self-esteem,
dignity and resilience).

13. Human flourishing
Satisfaction includes self-integration, emotional well-being,
happiness and inner peace.
Sense of community supports cooperative relationships,
generosity, and a sense of sufficiency. A bundle cannot be fastened
with one hand.*
Social participation nurture connection between people. It also
supports democratic practice, voice, empowerment and self-
determination.
Relationships ensure absence of shame/humiliation, love,
relatedness and affiliation.
______________
*Wan han noh de tai bohndul (Sierra Leone)
Rees, W. (2010). What´s blocking sustainability? Human nature, cognition, and denial. Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy,
6(2), 13-25.

14. 2
I My My People People in All People People Ecosystems Planet
family friends in my Western people and animals Earth
and country world animals and
relatives plants
T h e r e i s a n i n t e r d e p e n d e n c e.

15. People
Animals
Plants
Abiotic nature

16. People Animals Plants
Abiotic nature

17. Expanding of worldview
Human-centred Bio-centred Ecosystem-centred

18. 3
Our planet is not a collection of discrete
phenomena and events, but a system of the
interdependence. All the components support
each other.
 My behaviour affects other people, nature
and economy locally and globally
 The challenge is to identify what kind of
systems we are linked in
________________
* Systems thinking focus on causal relationships between elements. Systems thinking helps us to combine
ecological, social and economic point of view. In East Africa they used to say “mvua ni chakula”. It refers to
the systems thinking: “rain is food”.

19. Systems with radical transparency
” The supply of flour, of lumber, of foods, of building
materials, of household furniture, even of metal ware, of
nails, hinges, hammers, etc., was produced in the
immediate neighborhood, in shops which were constantly
open to inspection and often centers of neighborhood
congregation. The entire industrial process stood
revealed, from the production on the farm of the raw
materials till the finished article was actually put to use.”
(Dewey, 1915, 23).
________________
Dewey, J. (1915). The School and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

20. Complex global markets:
The origins and pathways of a can of cola bought in London
Bauxite was mined in Australia. Ore was transferred with trucks to a chemical
reduction mill. After that ore was sent to Sweden. The journey across oceans
took two months. In Sweden 10 meters long aluminum rods were processed in a
smelter. The rods were sent to Germany where they were heated and pressed
into a thin sheet of aluminum. Coils of aluminum were shipped to England,
where the aluminum sheets were punched. Cans were washed, dried and
coated, and transported to a bottler. Sugar canes, farmed in French farms, were
refined to sugar flower and shipped to England. Cola contains phosphoric from a
mine located in the United States. This mine uses energy equivalent to 100 000
people consumption of energy because food grade phosphoric requires a high
degree of processing. Cola also contains caffeine. It comes from a chemical
factory nearby. Cans are packed in cartons which are made of cellulose in a
paper mill. The paper mill gets trees from Siberia, Sweden and Colombia. Finally,
the beverage cartons were transferred to the supermarket in which they were
sold to the consumer in three days. The average consumer drinks cola in a few
tens of seconds. Manufacturing of the can is more expensive than the liquid
inside the can.
Womack, J. & Jones, D. (2003). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. New York: Free Press .

21. Sustainable business has nothing to hide
Effects of everyday choices occure far away from us. Do
our choices support
(a) Environmental sustainability?
(b) Social sustainability?
Forced labor, child labor and inhuman working conditions
are related to our daily used commodities.
_____________
TVPRA (2009). List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor. Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005. Bureau of
International Labor Affairs, Washington: U.S. Department of Labor. Available: www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/PDF/2009TVPRA.pdf
SACOM (2012). Toying with Workers’ Rights. A Report on Producing Merchandise for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Play Fair. Available
at http://www.play-fair.org/media/wp-content/uploads/play_fair_en_final.pdf
Coninck, N. Theuws, M. & Overeem, P. (2011). Captured by Cotton. Exploited Dalit girls produce garments in India for European and US
markets. Amsterdam: SOMO - Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations. Available: www.indianet.nl/pdf/CapturedByCotton.pdf
Ferus-Comelo, Anibel & Pöyhönen, Päivi (2011). Phony Equality - Labour standards of mobile phone manufacturers in India. Finnwatch,
Cividep and SOMO, Kit Ho, Chun, Pöyhönen, Päivi & Simola, Eeva. (2009). Playing with Labour Rights: Music player and game console
manufacturing in China. Helsinki: FinnWatch,
Pöyhönen, P. (2009). Fair Phones: It’s Your Call – Why Finnish mobile operators should be responsible for supply chains. Helsinki: Finnwatch.
UNDP (2008). Human Development Report 2007–2008. Fighting climate change. Human solidarity in a divided world. New York: United
Nations Development Programme.
Chan, Jenny, de Haan, Esther, Nordbrand, Sara & Torstensson, Annika (2010). Silenced to deliver: Mobile phone manufacturing in China and
the Philippines. Stockholm: SOMO & SwedWatch

22. Conflict minerals from Central Africa to my handphone
Miners
Negociants, Comptoirs in
Miners in Congo buyers and Goma and
transporters Bukavu
Local
business
Traders in
Smelters and
Refined product neighbouring
processors
countries
Global
markets
Electronic components Electronic products
(AVX, Honeywell Electronix, (Apple, Dell, HP, IBM,
KEMET, Matsuo Electric, Intel, Microsoft,
Murata, NEC Tokin, Nippon Motorola, Nokia,
Mining&Metals, Praxari MRC, Philips, Sony, SUN
RIM, Samsung, Sanyo Electronic jne.)
device, Vishay)
Bleischwitz, R., Dittrich, M., and Pierdicca, C. (2012). Coltan from Central Africa, International Trade and Implications for Any Certification. College of
Consumers
Europe: Bruges European Economic Policy Briefings n° 23. Available http://www.coleurop.be/template.asp?pagename=BEEP

23. Towards transparency:
Knowing the hidden impacts of what we consume
(a) Why we have fair trade products? Are all the other products unfairly produced?
(b) What are the differences between organic production and factory farming?
(c) Is there any local chocolate in Gent? Who work on cocoa plantations in
Western Africa? Why?
(d) Where is this potato coming from? Why?
(e) Who has picked coffee beans to my cup of coffee? Why?
(f) Who caught and cleansed this fish on my plate? Where? Why?
(g) Where is electricity coming from and how is it produced? Why?
(h) Why imported meat from South America is cheaper than the local meat?
(i) Where are my jeans or t-shirt coming from? Who manufactured them? Who
farmed cotton? Why?
__________________________________________________
Goleman, D. (2009). Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything. New York: Broadway Books.
Otnes, P. (1986). Visible cities. Saundersian meditations on the concept of collective consumption. Theory and Society 3(4), 217–232.
Spaargaren, G.,. Mol, A. & Buttel, F. (2000). Environment and Global Modernity. London: Sage
Spaargaren, G., van Vliet, B. (2000). Lifestyles, Consumption and the Environment: The Ecological Modernisation of Domestic Consumption. Environmental
Politics 9(1), 50–77.
Psarikidou, K.& Szerszynski, B. (2012). Growing the social: alternative agro-food networks and social sustainability in the urban ethical foodscape.
Sustainability: Science, Practice & Policy (8)1, 30-39.
Raworth, K. (2012). Planetary Boundaries and Social Boundaries: Defining a Safe and Just Operating Space for Humanity. Oxford: Oxfam

24. 4
Nobody asks how big should our economy be. How much
material wealth is enough for you?
 Desires and wants >< needs
 A shopper who shops only to meet his or her needs is
a danger to the consumer markets?
 Why do we need more and more? (social pressure,
acceptance, attention...?)
 You are rich if you know how much is enough.*
 Underdeveloping countries need more –
overdeveloping countries need less?
_______________
*Asian wisdom
Kenny, C. (2011). Getting better.: Why global developing is succeeding and – how we can improve the world even
more. New York: Basic Books.

25. We need robust economy to fulfill our basic needs (food,
clothes, shelter and energy). We also need things that are
not traded in markets and not captured by monetary
measures:
 understanding
 participation
 relationships
 harmony…
Hands wash each other.*
________
*Izandla ziyagezama (South Africa)

26. a) Importance of owning is decreased,
b) Services are used instead of owning goods,
and
c) Renewal of goods is motivated by real
needs.
Planetary boundaries
> Short-term material wants or
long-term basic needs?
______________
Salonen, A. & Åhlberg, M. (2012). Towards sustainable society - From materialism to post-materialism (in press).
International Journal of Sustainable Society.

28. Societal change
Industrial Information Consciousness
society society society
We are here

29. Eco-social consciousness is a new
normal of the responsible citizenship
People with eco-social consciousness
1. Combine rich information about the
wide range of world situations.
2. Display ability to imagine the
predicaments of many types of people.
3. Think reflectively.
_____________
Nussbaum , M. (2010). Not for Profit. Why Democraties Needs the Humanities. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

30. Eco-social consciousness as a driver of
societal change
Worldview Antropocentric Biocentric Ecosystem centric
Well-being Well-being by consumerism Well-being by meaning of life
paradigm (coherence and harmony)
Orientation Individual orientation Collective orientation Planetary orientation
I My My People People in All People People Ecosystem Planet Earth
Spheres of family friends in my Western people and animals s
responsibility and country world animals and
relatives plants
Salonen, A. & Åhlberg, M. (2012). Personal and Contextual Barriers to the Promotion of Sustainable Development in Everyday Life (Accepted paper). To be
presented on annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, April 13–17, 2012.
Salonen, A. & Åhlberg, M. (2012). Towards sustainable society - From materialism to post-materialism (in Press). International Journal of Sustainable Society.
Salonen, A. & Åhlberg, M. (2011). Sustainability in everyday life - Integrating environmental, social and economic goals. Sustainability: The Journal of Record,
4(3), 134-142

31. Together we create a safe social and
economic operation base
for humanity on the planet Earth
Tama sugo diniabe*
*Hope is the pillar of the world.
- Nigerian proverb

32. Dr. Arto O. Salonen
arto.salonen (at) metropolia.fi