Which means, we cannot model after the United States or even international practices but rather must pursue “small island sustainability.”
However, Dr. Underwood also said that it required collaboration between the public and private sectors to create a sustainability plan without which nothing will happen. I could not agree more. The reason why implementing green is tougher than selling the idea of going green is because it needs start-up monies that could be provided by the federal government, but one that also requires a commitment from the private sector.
Guam’s private sector sings to a different tune in this regard. It will pursue primarily what is in its best interests (nothing wrong with that at first blush) and the public sector, by and large, is left to fend for itself, primarily from the federal side of the equation. Hence the transfer payments to the local treasury.
For instance, if the hotels in Tumon believe they need to get off fossil fuels for their source of energy and move to alternative sources, they will do so but not because they believe it will solve the island’s energy needs but because they believe it will be a boost to their balance sheets. Therefore, it is difficult to get the private sector, a disparate group of interests to begin with, to buy into creating a sustainability plan.
Smaller businesses will continue to depend on more polluting and even higher priced sources of energy over the long-run because they will not be subsidized by larger businesses that can afford to — but are not willing to — foot the bill to make these transitions in the short-run.
This is why, I believe, if Guam is going to have its own small island sustainability plan, it is has to be centrally-driven as opposed to voluntary opt-ins. Unfortunately, it is difficult to do so in a robust democracy such as Guam (and the U.S.). Selling anything to the chamber of commerce, especially if it involves capital outlay, is a tough sell, to say the least. History shows that the chamber, while there may be individual members who might be sympathetic to a specific cause or a social issue, will not officially endorse a position that will entail additional expenditures up-front.
Finally, Dr. Underwood should be commended for taking the lead in this difficult endeavor as should the federal government in doling out $2.87 million in federal funds for sustainability research and initiatives. And he’s right when he concluded by saying that “sustainability is a difficult and elusive concept” made tougher on Guam when, I might add, the sale is being made to the same body that rejected his vision for the island four and eight years ago when he ran for governor
MATT PHILIPS
Mangilao, Guam
