It’s the first really warm day of spring, today. I’m certain that, being a Friday, today’s balmy breezes will summon downtown workers outside like a siren’s song. This is the time of year that many people rediscover the outdoors, the fact that the sky doesn’t end 7.5 feet over their heads, and that the airlock door in front of their workplace actually leads to a space that’s pleasant.
In the tumble of employees heading out in the mid-afternoon, there are the inevitable business emergencies, last-minute reports, and obligatory meetings. We contend with them like grown-ups, but part of us rails against the idea that we’re “stuck” inside. Do we really need to be there? I’m not saying we shouldn’t take professional obligations seriously, but do you really need to do the work in a closed room? Why not go and enjoy the rest of the world?
The last time I saw groups of people influencing their organizational meetings like this was in college. Does anyone else remember this question, “Professor, can we have class outside?” Why not ask that same question in your current context? Likely, you’ll get the same kind of support we saw in school: other students wanted to be outside, and the professor (given the choice) often felt the same way. Generally, we had an endorsement to relocate, as long as the lecture didn’t require overhead slides. Hmmm. Need to work on the outdoor video conferencing problem.
We’ve managed to convince the members of our weekly staff meeting that the day is calling for exactly this kind of change. We’re taking a bike ride, conducting business at an “undisclosed location,” and rediscovering our community. As an aside, for the benefit of any senior leaders reading this post, we will return to the office for a full day of work.
I would encourage others to consider how easy it is just to get outside and do what you need to do. Whether you have Seasonal Affective Disorder or not, I leave to your clinician, but I know I get an attitude boost just from being in the great outdoors for a few minutes a day.
If, even after your best pitch to your manager, you’re still bound to the inside of the building, at least try to say close to a window. It might be a tease, but it makes finally getting out there that much better.
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A lean population has a much smaller carbon footprint. The motorized transportation of heavier people takes more fuel, and the extra fuel to deliver more food for that population is yet another impact. A 40% obese population requires 19% more food energy, rolling up to an additional 270 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. We all pay the price for that extra food energy.
CNN would attest that the cause is "the availability of food and motorized transportation." While that may be factual, it’s hardly a complete explanation. Humans have the ability to reason (at least that’s what my science teacher said), and we should be able to reason around the simple "availability" of food, and the ubiquity of modern transport. What I suspect is this: People have come to perceive indulgence in excess as a goal in life. It’s glamorized, it’s made into luxury, and therefore it represents aspirational status. It’s become our duty to get and consume as much as we can. Desire has become an occupation, and over-consumption has become the payout.
Sure, I’ll get responses like: "That’s clearly discrimination. It’s illegal. It’s hurtful to people who can’t help their situation." I won’t deny those comments. Humans are complex, emotional creatures, and the subjective perception of our own life and our best role in it is never the same for everyone. I also won’t deny that a little peer pressure goes a long way, and this is important: People will change when their culture expects them to do so. What’s being seen today as "normal" is just plain wrong. We need a major perception change, if we’re to do anything about this problem, and it’s a problem that’s affecting our very planet. It’s not just a problem with people who are overweight. It’s a problem with everyone who thinks it’s OK to be obese. That includes the makers of food, the distributors of food, the advertisers, but most of all, you and me. 