Seven-Generation Decision-Making

A major factor of sustainability is thinking about how we make decisions. I was recently introduced to the indigenous tradition of The Seventh Generation Principal. The seven-generations philosophy looks at decision-making and what impact our decisions will have on the world seven generations from now. I was fascinated to learn that indigenous tribes throughout the world adhere to the tradition of seventh-generation decisions. As a steward of many campus resources, the seventh-generation decision-making has given me a whole new perspective on the decisions about parking, mobility, and transportation. Will the decisions create possibilities or constraints? Will the decisions help future generations thrive?

When I decided to move to San Luis Obispo, California, and work at Cal Poly, I was attracted to the amazing natural beauty of the California central coast. Cal Poly is the homeland of the Northern Chumash indigenous people. The campus is a guest of the Chumash homelands. It has become part of our campus culture to state the land acknowledgment as an intro to meetings and gatherings. The land acknowledgment is a reminder that we are stewards of the land and that our daily decisions are key to future generations who will work, live, and enjoy the land.

As parking and mobility professionals, we need to know more than the average to make decisions about sustainable principles, active transportation, advances in technology, financial investment, carbon footprint, alternative fuels, and environmental and social justice, to name a few. To that end, IPMI’s Sustainable Mobility Task Force has provided insight into the latest sustainability trends and strategies, and some of their work is featured later in this issue.

April’s magazine also highlights some bold implementation of new sustainable technologies. The City of Detroit recently implemented the nation’s first inductive charging network. This technology allows for ease of the electric vehicle charging process through wireless electromagnetic fields. IPMI’s EV Cohort has prepared a report discussing EV readiness and preparation. Check it out and see if you are ready to plug in!

On top of all the technology and trends in sustainability, we must keep in mind that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to a clean and sustainable environment. It is about protecting the planet and creating a fair and inclusive future for all. Our feature article, “Commercializing Environmental, Social, and Governance Principles (ESG) in the Parking Industry,” gives us some insight into the environmental, social, and governance principles to help us guide our future decisions.

Living in a fast-paced, consumer, culture-driven society, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the demands of our customers, the options to provide, and the decisions we need to make. Sustainability is not a fad and will continue to change cultural and social undercurrents and define consumer behaviors of tomorrow. In seven generations, we will most certainly need housing, but will cars exist the way they exist today? Not more than 100 years ago, only five generations ago, horses were the most common way to commute. Only one generation ago, the cell phone became mainstream; now, most of us can’t survive a few minutes without our phones. Our norms are quickly changing.

Luckily, many in this industry are willing to share their lessons learned and expertise, which is why this sustainability edition is always special. How our organizations use our time and money demonstrates our organizational priorities and values. We all are responsible for being good stewards of the environment and our personal and professional decisions will affect future generations—think seven generations from now. ◆