On September 11, it was time for this year’s edition of A Sustainable Tomorrow, a digilogue event where the focus was on dissonance. United Eco Solutions attended the hub in Jönköping to follow the broadcast from Helsingborg and network with other organizations to accelerate the sustainable transition. The various speakers provided perspectives on dissonance — why don’t we do what we know we should?
Organizational psychologist Kata Nylén discussed different types of dissonance and how they can be overcome. Wise children and young people shared their insightful thoughts on dissonance and sustainability.
Maria Wolrath Söderberg spoke passionately about how we create excuses to allow unsustainable behavior. For example, we might feel good about recycling, and thus justify our flight to Thailand, even though the climate benefit of recycling doesn’t come close to compensating for the flight’s negative impact. And yet, we continue as we do.
Gurgîn Bakircioglu shared his journey of change and highlighted how important it is not to think in black or white. Everything doesn’t have to be 100% perfect — the pursuit of perfection can make many people do nothing at all. Every little action we take can contribute to positive change!
Fredrik Reinfeldt provided a global outlook, focusing on the U.S. election. It became even clearer how the election on November 5 will determine the future of the world.
But what can little me or little Sweden do? Does it matter? Yes! A recurring theme was that through collective action, we can both tackle dissonance and act for a more sustainable future. When we act in line with our values, no dissonance arises, and in community, we find meaning. Together for a sustainable future!
