It’s not always obvious how we can achieve our Sustainability goals. A big help is principles we can use to help us. In the Sustainability space, the Rs of Sustainability have established themselves to be a successful way. Can you easily relate to the three common Rs of Sustainability: Reduce, reuse, and recycle? Sometimes I feel like those principles are not easily applicable in my life. Don’t worry, I found an effective way to personalise your own set of Rs of Sustainability. It won’t only help you to implement Sustainability easier but also embrace the diversity of what you can do to achieve Sustainability.

Following through with New Year’s resolutions is a rewarding feeling. When we stick to accomplishing the changes we want to see in our lives, we feel empowered, happy and invincible. Imagine we could use this power to make our world a better place. It is possible, but we need to do some pre-work that will bring us on the right path to greatness. Too often, we put a spoke in our wheel. It is not only bad for our self-esteem, but also for our planet which is in urgent need of sustainable action. Let’s prevent our resolutions from dissolving into hot air!

It’s not easy being a human in a world which seems to crumble around us. Finding encouraging and helpful support to tackle our world’s crisis is not easy. Many already say that we can’t achieve Sustainability anymore. What nonsense! In this article, I want to show you 10 simple reasons why we can still achieve Sustainability. Even better, it won’t be as difficult as you might think. Our world is complex, but not everything needs to be hypercomplex. Sometimes the simple things in life will bring us where we should be. Curious? You’re more than welcome to continue reading.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could work together to tackle humanity’s most pressing challenges? Interestingly enough, this is possible because natural systems show us how. Unfortunately, we got rid of a big chunk of natural systems, but this doesn’t mean that we cannot reverse it. The systems concept is an ideal approach to understanding the underlying problems we are facing AND finding the right solutions. We are an integral part of our Earth’s systems as well as any other species or resource. I can show you what it takes to understand systems better and contribute to a better world.

Contributing to Sustainability has never been easier. With the world wide web, we have access to almost any resource we need to support a sustainable transition with apps for example. Apps are super convenient because we always have our smartphones with us. It’s also not so complicated anymore to develop an app. There are so many different apps to help us be more sustainable. It doesn’t matter if you want to be more environmentally conscious, eliminate your waste habits, purchase environmentally and socially responsible products, etc. There is an app for everyone. If not, maybe you can develop one in your underserved niche.

The Triple Bottom Line is a famous framework that incorporates three dimensions for sustainable decision-making: social, environmental and economic. It’s mostly used to measure sustainable business performance, but it can be applied anytime a decision has to be made. For too long has the economic dimension been at the centre of attention leading to exploitation of the social and environmental dimensions. The Triple Bottom Line encourages us to look beyond the traditional bottom line of business profit and make decisions that are socially and environmentally responsible. Sustainable development can only happen if we find the right balance between the three dimensions which benefit all of us.

Sustainable development has a very carbon-heavy taste to it. It has already been recognised that we need to move beyond the carbon-only approaches; to achieve effective, sustainable outcomes. What we experience globally is a Carbon Tunnel Vision. It’s a clever play on words to highlight our selective attention on mostly Net-Zero Goals. The Carbon Tunnel Vision framework aims to open our eyes to other human and natural crises. Global warming is only one part of the interconnected crises. Let’s not get trapped and miss our chances to fight our challenges effectively. I want to show you how easy this can be by taking a more holistic and collaborative approach.

Nowadays, valid proof is more important than anything. It’s tough to avoid polarising messages as they seem to creep around every corner. Therefore, it’s essential to look at how you perceive the world. From questioning your thinking patterns to considering other people’s perspectives, there are many ways to challenge your assumptions. Those skills help you understand the world a little better and find the reasoning in a conflict-centred world. It’s not easy, but definitely worth your time to deal with how you perceive the world. I want to show you an easy shortcut you can apply every day. Enjoy!

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.

All around the world, startups are emerging to tackle the climate crisis. Startups have all what it takes to minimise the consequences and impacts of global warming. Brilliant minds, create brilliant solutions spot on. That’s what the world needs: solutions which are spot on, taking the system they operate in into account. In Brisbane, Australia, more than 30 startups pitched their ideas to potential investors and collaborators. I attended this event and in this post, you will learn about those startups and their unique solutions: to inspire you and to take action for a better world. Together we can achieve it!