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!

The WHO’S GONNA SAVE US podcast is about the heroes who will enable the world to avert the worst impacts of a climate disaster: people like you and me. Questions about “Why do we have to do it?” are changed to “How are we going to do it?” This podcast provides you with inspirational stories from people who simply want a better future. A future where we are not threatened by the climate crisis. How they are doing it is wonderfully discovered by the host Jo Lauder and her team.

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.

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?

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.

In our fast-moving world, it is easy to jump from news to news. Unfortunately, it means that we often neglect important information. In that context, I feel like the news about the Patagonia founder was swept under the rug too quickly. Do you remember what happened? Don’t worry if you don’t because I want to bring up this old news again. Non-billionaire Yvon Chouinard decided to give away his company, Patagonia, to tackle the climate crisis. It is a significant decision because perhaps we are dealing with a pioneering act that might shake up the business world. If we don’t let it fall into oblivion.

Sustainability is what I dedicate to my life. For too long, I felt helpless and increasingly annoyed by news about climate change, biodiversity loss, food crises, rising mental health issues etc. It’s a lot to deal with for a normal human being. But I always believed in Sustainability, it simply makes sense to me to adapt to the Earth’s systems. Our societies developed on ideals of exploitation and destruction, but good and kind people have a voice now. Thank you, internet! It doesn’t take much anymore to become the change you want to see in this world.

Change is inevitable. What should we do when a number of people cling to a system that is harmful but the norm? Economic degrowth is mocked by the corporate world and governments. Although it seems irrational to continue an economic system that is based on exploitation and destruction, there is little openness to rethink our global economies. Does a remedy exist? Imagine what a future that favours prosperity and sustainable development could look like. I have difficulty imagining a sustainable global economy. Let me introduce you to degrowth and the tragedy of the commons. Two concepts not paired before!

We feel good when we can freely spend our time on what matters most. Understandably, we get frustrated if we are not in control of our precious time. Control is a relevant topic and refers to control over others and control of yourself. The latter is a competency that contributes to your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, we don’t have much control over our lives as we have to stick to working schedules, household chores and other obligations. Acknowledging what is outside of our control and not letting it consume us is an essential step to gaining sovereignty.

We still try to define Sustainability and answer the “Why” although we are already in the tornado. It’s difficult to stay engaged or figure out our role in this chaoes of misinterpretation and misinformation. Wouldn’t it be easier if we agreed on asking only “How?” questions? How are we going to solve the climate crisis? How are we going to stop biodiversity loss? How are we going to change our exploitative economy? How can each of us find our purpose? I think we can do it! But firstly, let’s clarify that Sustainability is far from being outdated.