Sustainable development can be understood at two different levels: (i) organizational and societal level and (ii) individual level. The two are interrelated. Successful organizational and societal transformation towards sustainable practices will require a fundamental shift in values and principles at the individual level. Much research has been conducted at providing solutions at the organizational and societal levels such that we are inundated with a plethora of tools, frameworks, methodologies, standards and general guidelines on transforming, practicing and instituting sustainability within organizations and societies. Research has been sparse at the individual level concerned with embracing and adopting the values and principles of sustainable development albeit at individual level.
Transformation and change can occur towards sustainability in two ways. (i) legal and policy driven change backed by laws and regulations. This is largely limited to organizational/societal level change (ii) change from within – on a voluntary basis at the organizational/societal level as well as at the individual level. In the former case decision makers frame policies and laws and impose them on organizations/society at large. Environmental protections laws, pollution prevention policies, wildlife protection policies, human rights policies and laws are a step in this direction. Such strategies are termed Command and Control (CAC) strategies.
Transformation at the individual level cannot be coerced through use of policies and laws. One cannot force another to become an environmentalist. These have to come from within an individual. It requires a certain degree of enlightenment which stems from awareness and concern about what is happening around us. Such transformation at the individual level can be attained through education and learning in areas such as:
- Sustainable development
- Climate change and its impact
- Biodiversity and its value
- Awareness of social issues
- Tools and knowledge on how to act