The question Hamlet asks rings true in our quest for a better future. To be or not to be…that question is in the hearts and minds of many people across the country, and especially those who have the privilege of developing spaces for people to thrive.
‘Being’ is not a one-time action, or even an event like turning off the light switch. To ‘be’, you first must ‘do’. If I want to be an architect then I need to start to do things that architects do, and then when I get good at the doing, and maybe pass enough exams, and have the things that I’ve done assessed by experts in the field, then I can be (or become) an architect. This same principle applies to being net zero.
Like anything else, becoming net zero needs actions. That’s the tricky part, because it probably involes doing things you haven’t done before. You might need to do things that require bravery, perhaps even something you’ve tried and failed to do already.
Maybe you need to speak with more openness about ways your own organisation can improve. Maybe you need to put aside the old model of working, and ask yourself the question: ‘Am I investing in becoming, or paying the price for sticking to the old ways of doing things?’
Change always feels hard. But staying the same is the death knell to progression: it focuses only on the present, and assumes that nothing in the future will ever be different. Would it really be a good thing if we were all stuck at the same age, in the same place with the same people, with no history to learn from and no future to look forward to?
The whole reason for Darren Evans Ltd is to help you answer that question. We believe the construction industry can and must change for the better. We’re not here to judge; we know change can be painful! But we know that growth, development and progress will follow, and when it comes to net zero, that means a more sustainable future. And when we all participate in creating that future, we’re creating the legacy we want to pass on to our children.
To be? Or not to be? How would you answer?