Can a low-carbon lifestyle lead to a joyful life?

When digging into the multidimensional subject of environmental sustainability, it is not unusual to get a bit dizzy at first - Such a vast topic encompassing so many different realities. Once you've started to make amends on an individual level, you find that questioning one behavior leads automatically to tackling another. And there you might ask yourself; Is this an ever-ending battle? We don't know yet... When dealing with climate change, no one has the right answer. But still, we can ask around and meet some people already involved in making the world a more sustainable place. That is what led us to an open-heart discussion with Guillaume Turri-Werth, Staff Software Development Engineer and Co-lead of the Green Community at Criteo. Together, we talked about personal convictions and how to find your alignment at work, and, among other things, he shared 3 pointers we thought were particularly interesting. 

Create safe spaces to encourage open conversations 

"I believe being curious and documenting yourself is essential if you want to grasp all the complexity of what is happening here," says Guillaume. "Climate change, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas, plastic, air contamination, and impact on social justice; The reality is plural, and we don't always know what means what. And, if we don't understand the concepts, what can we tackle in the end?" 

It is essential to have people from all horizons gather and discuss these topics. We should feel free to share our vision, experiences, and input without fearing to be judged. For a new model to arise, we need to build it together, meeting one another and listening to other people's challenges. "It is crucial to hold a safe space where people, involved or not, can gather and feel free to share their opinions and voice their challenges without being judged. We must support each other rather than point fingers," according to Guillaume.       

Question how consumerism impacts our cultural behaviors 

"Many say the problem comes from capitalism. Yet, historically, other production-driven economies and industrial philosophies have harmed the environment too. So perhaps, it is not about capitalism as an economic model strictly speaking, but about how consumerism has taken over our cultural behaviors. We need to ask ourselves why we find joy and a sense of accomplishment in possessing and accumulating consumer goods we usually don’t need..." explains Guillaume. 

A low-carbon lifestyle can be the opportunity for a joyful life 

"I wish more people realized that adopting a low-carbon way of life does not have to be a burden but can be an opportunity to have a joyful and meaningful life. Several years ago, I committed to no longer travel by plane, and it turned into a real opportunity to discover much more enjoyable ways to spend my holidays, like taking a regional train to spend a few days riding a bike or hiking with friends in the countryside," shares Guillaume. 

When it comes to enhancing more virtuous ways of living and doing business, it seems more and more people are trying to figure things out, testing, leaping, correcting, and sharing what has worked and what hasn't. Find more input from Guillaume on environmental sustainability in his latest column.