When you endeavor to keep sustainability at the forefront of your mind, it helps to surround yourself with encouragement. Environmentally friendly actions can be a challenge to put into practice in business, so we have rounded up a series of quotes to inspire and guide you. World leaders like the Dalai Lama consistently speak to the needs of the environment, people, and plants. By bringing light to the root of our ecological problems and shifting the views of those who perpetuate them, we can bring about broad positive change.
What is Mindfulness
[Watch Double A’s Video about Sustainability]
One of the reasons for planting trees responsibly is that they provide the critical service of cleaning air for nearby populations. As the use of transportation and industry continues to grow, we must work rapidly to preserve the resources that help us, and to change the ways we elevate the risks of pollution. In fact, air pollution kills millions of people around the world each year, which leads us to believe that planting trees and reducing carbon footprint is more important than ever.
1. How Sustainability Works…
A clear shift in the business world indicates that many companies are choosing to be more conscious about the environment. In order to make a difference, we don’t just need to stop what we were doing. We need to do better and that starts with understanding the definition of sustainability in order to guide positive changes.
“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.” -Jochen Zeitz
Related: Sustainable Business Resources
2. Look carefully for gifts…
In today’s fast-paced world, it is not uncommon to leave special details unnoticed. However, when we take the time to slow down and reflect, we can see how precious this world truly is. Sometimes the spaces that seem empty, the ones between fertile ground, offer gifts of their own. After all, we are all connected.
“The natural environment sustains the life of all beings universally.” -Dalai Lama
3. Big change or small change, they all matter…
Taking broad sweeping actions for positive change is an evolution. For example, Double A carefully considered the environmental impact of tree farming and offered a suitable alternative in a specially cultivated Paper-tree. Thinking about how the farming would interweave with the rice cultivation led to a host of benefits for the community and its natural surroundings.
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” -Robert Swan
Related: Khan Na: Turning Unused into Unbelievable
4. Work in harmony…
The process of planting Paper-trees in Thailand is so symbiotic with the needs of the rice farmers that it was almost like they were made to live in harmony. Breathe easy knowing the benefits, like clean air, outnumber the leaves on the trees.
“He that plants trees loves others beside himself.” -Thomas Fuller
5. Take a chance at making the world a better place…
Imagine if everyone in the world took one small action for sustainability each day. Maybe it’s using a reusable water bottle, walking to work, or turning off the computer at the end of the day. It’s clear that many people want to see these actions among their friends and coworkers. Truly, the only way to inspire changes is to enact the habits.
“We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” -Howard Zinn
6. Know your roots…
A symbiotic relationship with natural resources is necessary to progress in the world. Work together with the smallest thing you know. The beautiful thing about spending time understanding nature, is that you will learn so much about living.
“The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least try not to defy them.” -Paul Hawken
7. Land is a community…
Working within a community shows the connections between the land, people, and agriculture. Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester, and environmentalist. His nature writings inspired change and educated the population on how to not only look at, but also care for the land around them.
“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” -Aldo Leopold
8. Learn the Three E’s…
Often, when someone chooses to make a sustainable effort, they do so for a reason other than their own. For example, they want to help the environment, cut down on waste, or purify the air. It’s easy to see that as they make this change, the benefits often come back in a helpful and unexpected way.
“Sustainability is about ecology, economy, and equity.” -Ralph Bicknese
