Momentum de-clutters and de-mystifies the vast array of corporate sustainability and … Read More
all we want is peace on earth
More than two years into the Covid pandemic – which continues to challenge people around the world – Ukraine and the rest of the world have been thrown into turmoil by a violent invasion which continues to result in loss of lives and displacement of many people and animals and on fuel and food security.
Armed conflict is very bad for people, costs many lives and has devastating effects on the natural environment.
The essence of Christmas is peace on earth and this is what we wish for this Christmas. World peace. No more, no less. We wish for peace for all people and for all ecosystems. Without peace there will be no protection of our natural environment.
If you are interested in reading more about the impact of war on the natural environment and resources we use for our existence and survival, here is a list o
f great introductory articles.
The Impact of War on Our Natural Environment
Environmental impacts of the war in Ukraine and prospects for a green reconstruction
How War Impacts Climate Change and the Environment
Acknowledgments:
Featured image street art by: Stop Wars – By Eduardo Kobra at Art Basel in Wynwood
last minute Christmas presents that don’t cost the earth
It’s this time of year again. Are you searching for last minute Christmas presents that don’t cost the earth?
Why not buy fewer Christmas presents and make gifts that matter?
Here are 10 ideas for last minute presents which don’t cost the earth, boost local, small businesses and won’t end up in landfill within a short time after Christmas and might even be good for the planet.
Ten last minute present ideas for Christmas:
Why do we love inspirational quotes?
We love inspirational quotes! A great quote is priceless to get an idea across, for credibility or to break the ice to relate to an audience – large or small.
Quotes are often found on postcards, posters, in speeches, on social media accounts – to name just a few. There seems to be a quote for every occasion. Quotes are like music: reflecting a mood and relating an experience – without the music!
Why is there a quote for every occasion?
- Quotes bring larger texts or concepts to the point and create a collective consensus which is helpful in quickly and succinctly conveying ideas.
- A quote which appeals to us does so because it reflects an idea, concept or emotion we already know or reinforces what we think is right but are unsure of.
- Quotes reflect who we are, how we see ourselves and/or who we would like to be. Quotes express our aspirations and convictions and allow others to relate to us (or not).
- On the negative side, quotes also are part of the new world of instant gratifications. While a quote is all of the above, it is unable to deliver sustained motivation without us doing the work to reach our goal or to build that character.
Ten last minute Christmas presents
It’s this time of year again. We search for last minute Christmas presents.
More and more people celebrate the ‘Festive Season’ formerly known as Christmas: a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who, in the eyes of Christians, is the son of God.
Why is Christmas popular to non-Christians?
Why is Christmas so popular and reaches beyond religious boundaries? Because it sells just about everything and is therefore loved by business owners around the world AND it allows us to express our love for each other. This makes for a great consumer festival where everybody wins – except the planet!
Buy less stuff ending up in landfill. Make gifts that matter instead.
Valentine’s Day during a Pandemic
It’s February and you know what that means – advertisers trying to sell us more stuff – cards, flowers, wine, gimmicks, experiences and the idea that we are lacking in some way if we don’t have a significant other or have and don’t wish to take part in Valentine’s Day spending.
Are you spending the right amount of time, money or impression on someone or yourself?
Money can’t buy happiness
Or can it? The saying ‘money can’t buy happiness’ isn’t always true…
If you live below the poverty line money will ensure you can buy yourself physical security and feel emotionally better due to the reduced stress that lack of money brings with it.
Disposable income can also be used to help others. Research suggests people who help others are happier than people who spent all of their money on themselves. Spare income allows us to donate to causes close to our hearts and leads to happiness.
Once we pass a certain threshold, namely $75,000US according to Economists Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, we won’t be any happier when we earn more and upgrade existing and add more possessions to our own private empire.
The things that bring long-term satisfaction and contentment can’t be bought with money, on the contrary, instant gratification particularly can actually have the opposite effect. [Read more…]
buy into buying nothing
Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy crap we don’t need.
buy nothing day
Buy Nothing Day commenced in Canada in the early 90ties to protest consumerism*. The day is currently held in about 65 countries either on Black Friday (end November) or the day after. It offers a 24 hour detox from shopping as opposed to Black Friday which offers ‘the buy-everything-you-can-in-the-shortest-amount-of-time-whether-you-need-it-or-not’.
Spring is in the Air
Plants are flowering.
Baby animals are showing their little faces.
Days are getting longer.
The air is warming.
We have a spring in our step.
Here in Australia spring starts on 1 September. In the astronomical calendar spring begins on the 21 September. We tend to do things differently in down under.
Wattle Day & the Golden Wattle
The 1st day of spring is also Wattle Day. The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is an evergreen spreading shrub or small tree. Did you know there are more than 760 different types of wattle across Australia?
Yet, despite of the wattle’s iconic status some types are threatened by extinction. [Read more…]
Inspirational quotes for a new decade
A new year and a new decade.
January 2020 – the end of an old and the beginning of not just a new year but a new decade. A decade of hope and to move into the right direction.
A time for collaboration and consensus building. A time for integration of the different, of the poor, of the voiceless, of non-human animals, of plants, of everybody and everything. A time to create balance.
Goals and resolutions.
International Women’s Day 2019 #BalanceforBetter
2019 will be a big year for women globally. There is a lot to be proud of. Yet, a lot remains to be achieved.
[Read more…]A balanced world is a better world. How can you help forge a more gender-balanced world? Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.
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