My Freedom Day - the Element Way

What does freedom mean to you?

To us at Element UK, freedom means having the freedom to choose...

Try warping your head around these profound freedom ‘sayings’:

• Freedom to choose but not free from the consequences.
• I am free to choose but am responsible for my choices.
• Freedom is not the absence of commitments but the ability to choose and commit to what is best for me.
• It is not your freedom to choose that makes you free but what you choose in that freedom that makes you free.
• Freedom means never ever taking it for granted.

Do you agree and subscribe to any of the above?

Even in our modern times, freedom can mean things many of us take for granted:

• to a woman in a middle eastern country, simply  being able to drive a car;
• to the Rohingyas, to live freely in the country they have called theirs, their whole life;
• to a Syrian child, to play under a blue sky without fear of being bombed.

To us at Element UK, freedom means having the freedom to choose – fantastic! But it does not end there.  Our choices can have consequences that often have far-reaching effects.
Hence freedom to Element UK means having the freedom to choose to live in harmony with the environment in a sustainable manner. And this is evidenced by our 100% biodegradable carbon friendly tableware made from Origo, whose primary ingredient is from renewable resources.

Positive vs. Negative Freedom (Charles Taylor)

Positive freedom is the freedom to choose, control and decided one’s own life and destiny – to act instead of being acted upon. Taylor calls positive freedom an “exercise concept” of freedom because it involves discriminating between all possible opportunities, and exercising the options that are most in line with your real will and what you truly want in life.  You are your own master.

Negative Freedom
Negative freedom is freedom from external interference that prevents you from doing what you want, when you want to do it. Taylor calls negative freedom an “opportunity concept” of freedom because it gives you access to a range of desirable opportunities, regardless of whether you decide to take advantage of those opportunities or not. You are slave to no man.

Plastic vs. Eco-friendly Disposables
Let’s look at one everyday common pervasive choice we make – choosing between plastic disposables and eco-friendly sustainable ones.  We can choose either as there are no restrictions and both is available in the marketplace. But are we exercising positive or negative freedom in our choices?

More often than not we gravitate towards using plastic disposables instead of eco-friendly ones. This is negative freedom. No doubt there are no laws to prevent us from using plastics but it would mean contributing to plastic waste in our environment. It is our habits and nonchalance towards sustainability that drives our choice and in the long run we face far-reaching negative impact.

On the other hand, knowing the harmful impact of plastics and choosing to reduce or altogether avoid using plastics, we are exercising positive freedom as we consciously make choices that will protect our environment and ultimately  impact us in a positive way.