What’s the Alternative: Fostering Multifaceted Change

Sustainability is the need of the hour. And it is important to have spaces that facilitate conversations in this regard. Yet, most platforms that aim to do so focus on one aspect of sustainability. However, as Shaista Ayesha, Chief Executive Officer at SEED Ventures, notes, “Sustainability necessitates a multi-faceted approach”. Thus, SEED Ventures devised and manages What’s the Alternative (WTA), a comprehensive platform that hopes to encourage systemic change by focusing on individuals, communities, and institutional change. Detailing the platform’s multi-focus approach, Shaista explains how it casts a wide net to “establish a holistic framework for sustainability”. The platform targets a wide range of stakeholders and offers resources that would allow all of them to add to and drive conversations around sustainability. Shaista explains that WTA focuses on individuals in a bid to encourage shifts in behaviors and lifestyles. “Recognizing the power of individuals,” she says, “we emphasize the importance of making conscious choices and altering behaviors, as collective actions can yield substantial impacts.” Noting that the platform is designed to be “solution-oriented” and to this end, they encourage individuals to acknowledge the power of their own choices. “By centering our focus on solutions,” she says, “we transcend the overwhelming sense of crisis and embrace a mindset of possibility and positive action”. With respect to individuals, she highlights that the ultimate approach is twofold, stating that “through a range of educational resources, articles, and opinion pieces, we strive to both inform and inspire individuals”. As when they have the most updated and comprehensive information available, individuals will “make conscious choices, engage with their communities, and strive for a more sustainable and inclusive future”. Shaista explains that community welfare is an important part of sustainability, because of which the WTA platform also engages community-focused conversations. “By fostering a sense of shared responsibility within communities,” she says, “we strive to facilitate local change.” She notes that the platform offers a “catalyst for community engagement, offering forums, discussions, and networking opportunities where people can connect and exchange ideas,” noting that it offers community groups “tools for community engagement, sharing best practices, and collaborating on local initiatives”. The final piece in WTA’s comprehensive approach to sustainability is institutional change. Shaista states, “We acknowledge that institutions, including businesses and governments, possess the necessary resources and influence to drive systemic change on a larger scale”. To this end, WTA offers relevant and updated research for businesses and academics while also allowing policymakers to “engage with the community and gather insights for evidence-based policy-making.” The ultimate impact of the WTA platform aims to be multifaceted. As Shaista explains it, “The most fulfilling aspect of leading WTA is the ability to create a tangible impact in people’s lives and contribute to a more sustainable future”. She notes that “it brings immense joy to witness individuals, communities, and businesses embracing sustainable practices and sharing their stories of success”. As a step towards this more sustainable future, WTA in partnership with the Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) will be holding the EcoSummit on July 12, 2023. Scheduled to take place at the Chambers of Commerce Building, Karachi, it will be WTA’s inaugural event and will bring industry leaders together with an aim to “discuss alternative solutions for reducing environmental harm and innovative ways to promote sustainability.”