Social Issues and Psychology:
Psychology & The Environment
Fall, 1997

Values as Sources of Economic and Cultural Conflict:
Recommendations for Possible Solutions

Jim Berling, Mary Krebsbach & Mike Kurka

Please Note: These materials may be used for research, study, and education, but please credit the authors and source.

The Commons

Upstream Superiority

A Swedish Approach

The Commons

    The tragedy of the commons has been defined as "the consumption of a natural resource by each of many individuals who have unrestricted access to the resource inevitably leads to the resource's destruction" (Gardner and Stern, 1996, p. 23). In the case of Maui and its potential development the resource in question is most visibly land. Although with an increase in tourism water and other resources may be under attack as well. More visitors may mean that there are more available opportunities for people to neglect or abuse the environment. Right now the fear of some residents seems to be that this new development will decrease the already scarce beach area further. As already pointed out, West Maui has one of the last sandy beaches left on Maui and to eliminate this resource further would be a great loss. [photo from hypertext guide to Hawaii by J. Bisignani]

    William Ophuls has proposed four solutions for environmental problems associated with the tragedy of the commons. The first is governmental laws, regulations and incentives, which would mean control by the state concerning environmental issues. The second is education as a means of getting everyone to understand the problems and what they themselves can do to help. The third is small group or community management by which groups within a larger population come together to try to do what they can to combat the problem. And finally, there are moral, religious and/or ethical appeals, which focus on incorporating people's sense of values or beliefs to entice them into helping the environment.

    Of all the four solutions Ophuls proposes community management seems to be the most appropriate for the situation Hawaii is facing, although they all could be incorporated. For example, it is important for all residents to be aware of the problem, how it is going to effect them and what they can do about it. Similarly, there may be moral, ethical and religious appeals that can be made for the new development on Maui. In fact, the Native Hawaiians have seemed to use this tactic in order to mobilize themselves against further development. They speak strongly about their culture's belief of ecocentrism. Additionally, the state itself could step in to regulate how much of the beach can be used for developmental purposes.

    Community management is different in that it brings together groups of citizens to combat the problem themselves. There is no governmental involvement. The citizens form groups because they are concerned about their community. They all agree upon the tactics they will undertake and follow the guidelines because they feel a responsibility to each other and their community as a whole. They may even try to incorporate some of the other solutions, such as education and moral, religious or ethical appeals. A nice example of community management in Hawaii is the Native Hawaiians. This group of people has come together because of their concern for their homeland and its environment. They feel as though businesses and development are endangering places of cultural and historical significance as well as the beaches and oceans. They do not want development to compromise the beauty and culture of the Hawaiian people. As a community they have banded together in large numbers. They have held meetings, rallies and even developed their own web page. [photo from hypertext guide to Hawaii by J. Bisignani]

    In the case of the developmental conflict between the economy and the proponents of cultural significance we propose there needs to be some type of compromise or discussion between the two sides. Both have very valid reasons for opposing or supporting further development on West Maui. On one hand, there are sites of cultural, historical and environmental significance that need to be protected and maintained. These places have existed long before the United States took over Hawaii  in 1859 and should remain long after. On the other hand, Maui's economy and many of its residents' jobs are dependent on the tourist industry. Without it they may be forced to find other means of supporting themselves. Both sides have important needs and concerns that need to be heard. Additionally, we must consider that each side is not completely opposite of the other. For example, Native Hawaiians may be employed in the tourist industry and thus would also be affected by a further decline in the economy. On the other hand, the loss of culturally significant sites is a loss for the state of Hawaii and its people, not necessarily just the Native Hawaiians. Hopefully by coming together and talking about possible solutions these two sides can arrive at a plan which best benefit's Maui and its citizens. We suggest that a combination of all four of these solutions and others are needed in order to arrive at a workable solution.

Upstream Superiority

    In order to promote a future for Hawaii to improve its economy while preserving the environment, both sides must consider the possible effects of any action or lack thereof. The use of upstream solution strategies could help both sides become aware of the possible consequences or effects on Hawaii. As Gardner and Stern point out, "technical analysis of many environmental problems reveal that upstream intervention strategies are usually superior to downstream strategies" (Gardner & Stern, 1996, p. 267-268).

    By taking a proactive stance on further land development, developers can become aware of not only the environmental effects in the short term, but also what the fallout from those effects may be in the long term. For example, rather than curtailing activities which harm the environment immediately, such as deforestation, resort owners need to consider what major fundamental changes could occur, such as extinction of major species vital to the island. This thinking needs to proceed even further. Future economic difficulties will result if some or all of Hawaii's ability to be self-sufficient is disabled by resort expansion. What steps will or can be taken at that point to promote further economic stability? [photo from hypertext guide to Hawaii by J. Bisignani]

    It is equally important that Native Hawaiians and other ecocentric interest groups subscribe to this line of thinking. As the economy continues to fail, more jobs will be lost and the standard of living will suffer. While it is necessary to protect the environment, it is nearly impossible to bolster the economy with no negative effects as a result. If a society begins to hurt economically, other negative social factors will often result, the likes of the Great Depression  on a smaller scale and inevitably culturally decay. In order to halt this downward trend, it is necessary to think of ways to preserve both the environment and culture. There are some encouraging strides being made. According to Martin Kasindorf, new industries, such as macadamia nuts and Kona coffee, are beginning to flourish (1997). Perhaps the success of these ventures will promote the idea that Hawaii can depend on its environment to be self-sufficient and profitable as well.

    We believe that it is necessary to adapt upstream solution strategies to most effectively solve Hawaii's current cultural, environmental and economic dilemmas. All people, regardless of value orientation, must strive to see things from a variety of perspectives and reach feasible solutions to protect Hawaii's assets, both economical and environmental.

A Swedish Approach

    As the economic situation in Hawaii continues to decline, efforts toward the introduction of new industries are being sought, such as in telecommunication and oceanography, to help cushion its devastating blow (Kasindorf, 1997). Although these new potential profit-making sources may have some impact in the future, as Martin Kasindorf states, "[i]t's hard to see a new boom resulting from anything but rejuvenated tourism" (Kasindorf, 1997, p. A18). If this in fact is the case facing Hawaii and its economic decline, then seemingly any plausible resolution to the problem must involve tourism in some way. Hotel and tourist resort production is definitely one way to bring in more tourists and makes development appear to be an only option or does it?

    The creation of new structures to attract tourism looks to be an effective way of solving the distress caused by Hawaii's failing economy until you take into account the potential effects on cultural significance, not to mention the cost of their construction. A solution to the developmental problems facing North Beach and other areas must incorporate these oppositions. This is where we suggest a somewhat new approach to solving environmental problems, The Natural Step.

     The Natural Step is a program which consists of four principles designed to eliminate disagreements over details that prevent society from addressing issues as a whole. The four fundamental conditions were developed in order to create a sustainable society, which is geared towards solving environmental conflicts thoroughly. The framework of this program is basically built upon and concerned with only the conditions necessary for sustaining life and places its focus at the source of the problem. This focal standpoint increases the likelihood of agreement between conflicting sides and thus paves the way for creating harmonious solutions to the dispute at hand. This seems to be just what the two factions of the development issue on Maui need.

    We propose the application of the Natural Step to the situation in Maui as involving an increase in improvements and efficiency in existing hotels and resorts rather than constructing new ones. This way the state of Hawaii, developers and owners of hotels are all able to save money by eliminating fabrication of new structures and by adjusting consumption in already developed areas. This would in turn not only satisfy those who stress the importance of cultural significance by sparing meaningful land areas, but would also improve environmental quality on the whole.  Karl-Henrik Robert, the Swedish founder of the Natural Step, refers to this process as cyclical because it incorporates reuse of resources instead of creation of new ones (Robert, 1991). This sounds like a cure-all too good to be true and relies on the question of whether this course of action would indeed work or backfire to improve the economic situation even more. For answers we turn our attention to the case study on the Grand Wailea Hotel.

    The Grand Wailea Hotel was used as a case study in order to illustrate the effects that the Natural Step Program can provide for its users. The hotel, fittingly located in Maui, joined Interface, Inc. to reduce consumption and waste during a world meeting, which consisted of 1,000 attendees. For six days the Grand Wailea Hotel agreed to take part in utility/waste saving measures and in other capital improvement projects while concurrently maintaining their superior quality as a leisure based business. Throughout the exercise a monitoring system recorded and analyzed the metrics of the program. Once the six-day ordeal was over, the final results were compared with the average findings for a similar convention held exactly a year before. The only difference was the latter did not have an emphasis on the environment. The results of the study are what caused us to recommend the Natural step Program as a possible solution to the conflict in North Beach.

    The final results of the Grand Wailea hotel case study consisted of a 21% savings in total electricity use for six days. Most of these electricity savings were due to a 23% reduction in electricity consumption for laundry services. Hotel guests played a part in this outcome with their limited use of towels and sheets, which further resulted in a 48% reduction of water, which was 5% of the hotel's total consumption. A 34% reduction in  solid waste occurred which is a 3 ton decrease of waste per day. Along with these economic impacts come those which reduce the ecological footprint on the environment. Not only did the hotel succeed in saving money but they also protected the environment at the same time.

    The effects of the study, which incorporated the use of the Natural Step Program, are most astounding when you take into account the impact over a year's time. For example, if the reduction of electricity remained at the same level as during the time of the study, the hotel would save about $708,000 per year. The reduction in propane use concerning laundry facilities would save over $270,000 a year and the conservation of water use in these facilities would save $37,500 per year. Regarding solid waste, a $48,000 saving would result in one year. The total savings in a year's time would be over one million dollars for the hotel! If every hotel in the state of Hawaii implemented the Natural Step Program billions of dollars would be saved which could be then applied to the state's dwindling economic situation. Development may not be the only option after all.

    The Natural Step's major objective is to improve the condition of the biosphere on a whole. This was accomplished in the example of the Grand Wailea Hotel through electricity and propane reductions which allowed 55 acres of tropical forest to absorb carbon dioxide from other systems. A reduction in water use saved the equivalent of 8.6 inches of total rainfall in a year and reduction in solid waste freed landfill space of almost 4,000 tons of garbage. It just so happens that at the same time that these ecological improvements are occurring so are economic ones. This is why the Natural Step is of great interest to may businesses and corporations. [photo from hypertext guide to Hawaii by J. Bisignani]

    There is no denying the fact that revitalization in Hawaii's economy is dependent on tourism in some way. The proposed development of new hotels has been met with disapproval by those who claim areas of cultural significance will be jeopardized along with the overall environment. The Natural Step Program would eliminate the need for development of new hotels by bringing in money from increased efficiency and improvements to existing hotels already on the islands. This plan of action would undoubtedly be accepted by those concerned with cultural significance and the environment due to its protections and enhancement features. Proof of its success is already available and the only barrier to its application on North Beach seems to be, as Karl-Henrik Robert describes, the spirit of sacrifice and a will to act (Robert, 1991).

[photo from hypertext guide to Hawaii by J. Bisignani]

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References

    Gardner, G.T. & Stern, P.C. (1996). Environmental Problems and Human Behavior. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

    Henn, A. et al. (1997). Development and Economy. Psy 412 Web Page. Retrieved November 19, 1997 from the World Wide Web: http://www.users.miamioh.edu/shermarc/p412

    Kasindorf, M. (1997, November 7). "Hard Times in Hawaii". USA Today, pp. A17-A18. 

    Robert, K.H. (1991). Educating a Nation: The Natural Step. The Natural Step Web Page. Retrieved November 6, 1997 from the World Wide Web: http://www.emis.com/tns/documents/articles/robert.htm

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