2019 seemed to dish up countless negative news stories around the state of our environment, the business world and politics all fuelled by fear and judgement. Many intelligent people I love and respect were throwing their hands in the air, wondering what impact (if any) they could possibly have by changing things alone. Whilst the media scrutinised the government’s policies on climate action, I began to look within my own life and what part I played in the bigger picture.
It was probably the monologue from the grandmother on the series “Years and Years” I viewed on SBS, that really pushed me into action. Set in the future, the extended family sit around the table as she firmly addresses them, highlighting that they had all played a part in the state of where the world was at, every t-shirt they bought for one pound without questioning where it came from, every time they didn’t stand up for the things they believed in. We are all part of our current environment (physically and socially) in one way or another and in the same way, we are all a part of how this story progresses into the future.
I acknowledge that there is still a huge part of this planet who are not in a position to think about sustainability as they are only thinking about survival. My belief is, if you are in a position where you have the time and space to try to make a difference, then hopefully you will, no matter how small.
As a people Manager over the years I have observed that anyone trying to garner action from a team with fear or hysteria doesn’t get very far. If a team is lead by positivity, forgiveness to fail, encouragement and celebration stories of success, the result is often creativity, innovation and action.
By creating “Just do something sustainable” I hope to build a group of story tellers willing to share their positive stories on how they have made small steps within their lives towards sustainability. The dual meaning of sustainability applies to this blog and Facebook group which are “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level” and “avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”. This will not be a place for guilt, blame or judgement, because we have already established we are all complicit in different ways. This will be a place where we can share ideas to help us look at our own situation and change the elements we have control over, one step at a time.
If you have a great idea for sustainable practices within the home, business, leadership, whilst travelling, changing mindset or body, then I would love for you to share your stories by contacting me through the blog site Just do something sustainable and then we can share these positive stories through the Facebook community @justdosomethingtoday.
I look forward to hearing from you and stay tuned to the first change I will be making – giving up new clothes for 2020!
JUST DO SOMETHING 