g-Think | Issue 22 | Awakening in New York

Born and raised in Monaco, living in New York was always a dream for me. I lived all my life in Europe, first in my home country, then in Italy for three years, then in France, and then temporarily in the United Kingdom and Australia. However, living in the USA was my ultimate goal. My family could tell you all about my desire to move across the Atlantic and settle in New York. My goal was set: one day, I will be in New York and experience my American Dream.

The first step was to visit New York, just to make sure it was such a special place. I came twice and I was in total admiration. All the impressive skyscrapers, the yellow cabs, the squirrels in Central Park, the Empire State Building… The diversity New York offers is incredible: each suburb is like a different universe – different architecture, different language, different people. This is truly the land of possibilities where every dream can come true. Everything is bigger than in Europe: the streets, the buildings, the average food and drink servings and even the squirrels are huge! The one exception was the the Statue of Liberty which I found quite “small; I had always imagined it to be much bigger than the Eiffel Tower!

So you can imagine my excitement when I was offered an internship at Green Team and I finally got to live in the city for six months. My dream had come true.

In reality, living in New York was more than my American Dream: It was also about my path to awakening. At Green Team, I discovered a new concept: the “Awakening Consumer.” Before moving to the U.S., I was aware of how our actions impacted the world and tried to do my part for the environment. I was always told to do simple things to help: not leaving the water running, switching off the lights when I am not in my room. I even boycotted BP gas stations after the Gulf oil spill (and still do). But there was still a lot of room for improvement in other aspects, such as recycling, which I sometimes wouldn't do because I couldn't figure out which bin my trash should go in. There was certainly room for improvement--and Green Team was the perfect place to teach me how to improve.

I am gaining more awareness on sustainability issues. I am learning to have greener habits at work, such as always printing double-sided and with several slides on one page when working on Power Point presentations. I always keep the extra napkins given from the deli next door for future use instead of throwing them away. Every little bit counts!

Realizing I was becoming an Awakening Consumer, I became conscious of the whole process of change I was undergoing. I care, but switching my habits was difficult. We are increasingly aware of the troubles our world is facing: it is not a secret anymore. However, as a consumer I was not familiar with the tools I had to tackle these problems. Messages can be confusing, and I needed to know what to do and what to buy to make our world a little better. We have to make it easy for the consumer to follow his/her beliefs with simple tips, such as certifications to verify the sustainability of products. By reading numerous CSR reports, I was also surprised to find out that some companies’ efforts are very dispersed and sometimes lack logic and consistency, which makes it difficult for consumers to improve their habits.

There needs to be a standardized way of "going green." I was not unwilling to change, but I lacked the guidance and knowledge to develop responsible consumption habits. And green washing doesn't help; many companies claim their products are sustainable, but how would I know the difference? Taking again the example of recycling: for every city I lived in Europe, the rules were different. In Monaco, after eating a yogurt, I had to wash the container before trashing it, whereas in Lyon, one could throw it away unwashed. Sometimes the lid is recyclable and sometimes it is not: Where is the logic? If we want to drive change, the rules need to be simple and logical so that more people can come on board.

I am not saying that I am now perfect and have all the answers. My move to New York was the start of my journey as an Awakening Consumer, but I am still faced with many contradictions. As one of my desires was to live in the Big Apple, another dream of mine is to be the proud owner of a four-wheel drive Ferrari. Until recently, this was a pure fantasy, as one did not exist. But as a child, when asked what would be my dream car, this was always my answer. Twenty years later, the Prancing Horse heard my wish, and the Ferrari FF was born. No one needs to lecture me on how this kind of sports car is going to damage the environment, but I know that someday, (when I have enough money, of course) I will own one even though it contradicts with my values. I pledge not to drive it every day--maybe only on the weekends.

I am not perfect but everyday I am awakening more and more. My particular relationship with New York has certainly contributed to my awakening, and I will be forever grateful to the Big Apple for it.