The Case for Grace

As the country’s leadership changes—and special interests lick their chops at the prospect of loopholes and diluted regulations—sustainability advocates double down on efforts to advance the built environment to higher levels.

Many years ago, a close relative of mine, who was struggling to find his way, confided that although he was willing to carry a heavy load, he truly wished that the journey wasn’t always uphill too, a sentiment that was, and still is, easy to agree with. 

I don’t know anyone who chose sustainability as their mission in life because they thought it would be easy. At times the road can be fairly straight and level, but, as we all know, there are also plenty of hurdles and potholes lying in wait.

Recent developments in our governmental leadership staggered the green building sector and raised frightening concerns that all the hard-earned progress that we have recently enjoyed is very much at risk. 

In a nutshell, special interests in the building industry and beyond are licking their chops at the tantalizing prospects of diluted regulations, performance rollbacks and a hearty buffet of loopholes.

The initial reaction for many of us was a blend of anger and bewilderment. The loss of control and any reasonable predictability created widespread angst throughout the sustainability community. However, almost immediately another, almost universal, response emerged. A wide variety of sustainability advocates issued the call to double down on our individual and collective efforts to advance the built environment to higher levels. Some simply declared that we just need to get back to work.

A close friend wrote, “I’ve decided that the best revenge is to not give up, not acquiesce, don’t compromise, and maintain our values with tenacity and faith. The future will be a watershed of change. I am going with doubling down on my values and goodwill when it is warranted.” 

Personally, I was immediately reminded of a brilliant opinion piece by the great William Safire that appeared in the New York Times on February 11, 1985, in which he posed the question of why we celebrate Lincoln’s birthday.

He asserted that the reason is not necessarily because Lincoln was known for freeing the slaves and for preserving the union, but rather that it is because he forced the country, through the horror of the Civil War, to forge an unbreakable commitment to the backbone of the democratic process, or as Safire put it, Lincoln enshrined majority rule.  He described how in our system the transfer of power happens “majestically, as though there were no other way.”  

We have witnessed the alternative, and none of us ever want to experience something like that again. We are absolutely entitled to feel disappointment, even betrayal, and to express our frustrations over the outcomes of events like important elections that don’t go our way.  

But such experiences provide us with opportunities as well. In a case such as this, we can choose to embrace the pain with grace, to allow ourselves to be bigger than the moment and to seize upon the challenges with renewed determination and courage.