Individual to the State - The Continuum of Responsibility

If we want to get our country clean, the responsibility should encompass all levels of society from the individual to the government.

1. The individual
We cannot achieve our goals without the cooperation of the individual citizen. Individuals have to be convinced of the importance of a clean environment and believe that it can be achieved. The first people to change often find it very difficult. It can be frustrating and disappointing to see that others do not adhere to behavioural changes that the individual had embraced. This can lead to disillusionment and reversal of the positive individual behavioural change. We often hear people say "what is the point in me putting garbage in the bin, when ten others around me throw garbage wherever they please". Moreover human beings want to conform and blend-in with the wider society. They do not want to be different and be the odd person out. They might want to avoid ridicule. So if the majority urinates against the public wall, the individual might find it difficult to be the one who uses the toilet. On the other hand individual thought and action has quite often changed the course of history. The founding of great religions, political movements and institutions can be traced back to a single individual or small group of people. So the individual, once convinced, has to persist and strive to be a catalyst for change.

2. The family
Next, change has to occur  at the level of the smaller units of the community. The family being the next level after an individual, change is crucial at this level. Close family members are the ones over whom most people have the greatest influence. Influencing children about positive behaviour is what all families do. Keeping the environment clean should be one of those positive behaviours that parents have to cultivate in their children. Homes have to be at the forefront of this revolution. If home composting, recycling, source segregation of waste etc. are to take hold, all members of a household have to do their part.

3. Communities
The next level would be neighbourhoods, streets and apartment buildings. Resident organisations play a critical part here. They can change community attitudes and behaviour by the herd mentality that is so inimical to individual change. Here the herd mentality can used to advantage. If most people adhere to a certain change in behaviour others will follow. Moreover there is power in numbers. Resident groups can set up collective mechanisms, as we have seen in communal composting of waste in certain apartment buildings in cities like Bangalore.

4. Institutions
By institutions we mean places where people go to study, work and shop. Schools, colleges and universities are obvious targets.  Schools have always been  agents of change. It is easy to change young minds. Workplaces like offices and factories are also places where behavioural change can be easily enforced. Malls and markets have to implement clean practises. It is good for business and will ultimately enhance their revenues.

5. Corporations
We see many many corporations setting up manufacturing units employing hundreds of workers. These corporations should strive to empower their employees to indulge in behaviour that will keep the environment clean. They should also be good corporate citizens and help keep the external environments clean. Companies should adopt public spaces in the vicinity of their operations. The Pepsico-Exnora collaboration in Pammal is a case in point. Local governments can give tax breaks to corporations that step up to keep public spaces clean. As private sector entities, you can expect them to be more efficient than the public sector. Too often we note big corporations hiding in their clean compounds behind high walls and fences and letting the outside remain an eyesore. These multinationals cannot get away with such behaviour in many other countries.


7. Government
The various levels of government are indeed the ultimate arbiters of societal change. They have the power and wherewithal to bring about sweeping change through positive and negative reinforcement of mass behaviour. Through legislation, policing and awareness campaigns they have the greatest power to bring about change. They are responsible for the infrastructure and maintenance. We have seen successive governments in Kerala emphasize cleanliness as a goal and the results are easy to see. However governments alone cannot achieve the desired goals without the cooperation of the citizenry. Nationwide campaigns like the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan are welcome but need public participation to be successful.

So if all these levels of society work together and cooperate, it will be just a matter of time before the country becomes clean and remains clean.