Climate anxiety is a relatively new phenomenon. It occurs when people increasingly see, hear or read bad news about environmental impacts in connection with the climate crisis. Consequently, people are scared of the consequences that make the future look grim. Negative emotions like distress, anger and hopelessness contribute to a spiral of worries that might have a bigger impact on their life than the effects of the climate crisis. Luckily, there are different and simple ways to deal with climate anxiety. No one has to suffer in silence, but it means taking action and taking matters into our hands.

Words are a wonderful way of bringing forward our ideas. Usually, we underestimate the power of words. Nonetheless, words influence our behaviour, feelings, desire and fears. The simple ability to communicate with words gives us the unique and powerful choice to change our life. We have the choice to either destroy or build our future; the choice to change the narrative for our benefit or disadvantage. Are we bringing our forces together to create the sustainable world we need? Are we going to give the decision-making power to those who don’t care about us or are we taking matters into our hands?

Systems thinking should become one of the number one approaches to solving societal challenges. It’s a problem-solving approach that looks at a system as a whole. Making sense of the complexity in our world is not an easy task, but mastering the principles of systems thinking can bring us one step closer to achieving sustainable goals. Rather than isolating parts of a system (like linear thinking does), systems thinking is the ability to understand systems as a whole and the dependent relationships. With systems thinking, we have a much better chance to find the solutions which fit.

Expressing love is not limited solely to human-human interactions. The natural world deserves to be loved and cared for. Unfortunately, knowledge about living within nature’s means disappeared with the rise of industrial and modern societies. Destruction and exploitation are on the daily agendas – not without consequences. Of course, new technologies are developed to tackle our global challenges. However, we cannot solve our challenges with the same mindset which created them. Huge potential lies in the principle of ecoliteracy. It is a way of understanding and appreciating how we can rebuild our relationship with nature – healthily and sustainably.

Living in urban areas is a challenge for sustainable transitions. Most cities were not built to be in balance with the natural environment. Hence, sustainable urban living is no longer a necessity – it is a must. It is not easy for citizens to live environmentally friendly and socially responsible because unsustainability is the norm in urban areas. Inefficient transport systems, massive amounts of waste, irresponsible use of energy and poor land and building management are only a few obstacles that put a heavy burden on the environment and societies. Is sustainable urban living the answer for us individuals to make a difference?

In this day and age, we need influential and meaningful calls to action. With her second book ‘Right Here Right Now’, Natalie Isaacs shares her and the wisdom of other women in fighting the climate crisis. She is the founder of the global climate action movement 1 Million Women. By introducing you to her book, I hope that it will be as inspiring to you as it was to me. Even better, I attended her book launch event in Brisbane. Hence, I want to share my impressions with you. So, let’s find your potential to lead the way to solve our societal challenges.

Over half of the world’s human population lives in cities. It’s expected that by 2050 68% of people will live in urban areas. Urban spaces matter tremendously in the light of sustainable development. There are many challenges to make cities more sustainable, but in this article I want to focus on the opportunities. I discovered that designing urban spaces to be more sustainable can be a very fun experience. Repurposing spaces fuelled my imagination. Therefore, instead of only one example you will get two which show how easy it is to make an underutilised space more livable and enjoyable.

The Quadruple Helix model describes necessary collaboration processes between government bodies, industries, academia and citizens. In innovation systems, the public has been widely neglected, thus creating solutions and systems which are not beneficial for the majority. Social responsibility is strongly connected to the Quadruple Helix model and is needed to reinforce the involvement of citizens in research and development processes. Addressing the immediate needs of a society should be at the centre of decision-making for governments as well as businesses. Applying the Quadruple Helix model makes it easier to involve all representatives who need to take part in the decision-making process.

A lot of pressure weighs on the shoulders of sustainable leaders. In a complex and confusing world where policies, public pressure and business prosperity are demanding sustainable transformation – it can become an unbearable task for leaders. It does not help that sustainability is already an inconsistently discussed topic – plus staying on top of trends in an ever-changing world is energy-draining. How to cope with all those challenges as a sustainable leader? Principles of sustainable leadership guide the way for leaders who want to do more good and bring their businesses on track in their sustainability journey. Let the change begin!

What we perceive as meaningless actions can be far from reality. Too often, we underestimate the impact we can make. Don’t forget that one word can change the course of the world. What is really meaningless are words without actions. Call to action will determine our future because every impact we try to achieve matters. So why refer in this article to meaningless actions? Because you are not alone in your doubts about the impact you can make. Therefore, I want to present to you all the meaningless actions which have the potential to make the world a better place.