Why is now the best time to up your sustainability game?

Have you heard that ancient Chinese proverb...

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now..."?

Sustainability has been on the radar for a long time, but the situation, in light of recent world events - bushfires, pandemics, drought, floods, locusts, dust storms, social uprising, etc, etc... are starting to affect all of us, daily.

After a year of lock downs and travel restrictions - now is a good time to reflect on the sustainability of our programs and practices. 

We were all forced to slow down, change our ways and reflect on the things that are important to us as humans (our health, our families, our communities, our way of life). We will eventually be getting things back to 'normal', some sooner than others, but what do we want the new 'normal' to be?

Sustainability has featured in many discussions as we consider the best ways to recover, both in terms of health and well-being, communities and economies following the pandemic, bush fires, floods, cyclones and other natural disasters occurring the world over.

Lock-downs, travel restrictions and supply issues have highlighted the fragile nature of many of our social, economic and environmental systems.

Spending more time close to home over the past year has also provided us with an opportunity to reconnect in our communities, and re-localise our activities. 

We are buying local, supporting more small businesses and talking to our neighbours.  Our lives were simplified and many people are continuing some of these new habits as we progress to our "new normal".

With all of this change and discussion about sustainability, and the world that we want to create - and the prospect of this not being the last of these world-wide disruptions we'll see in the near future - now is the time!  

We can leverage these discussions and turn them into action within the context of our services and communities.  

That is why now is the perfect time...  

We've all had a bit of time to reflect and think about all the things we take for granted, and question what is actually important and essential. 

Is there a better or different way of doing things?  What do we need to do to create the world that we want?

This is often what stops us from making changes or taking action - being stuck in our comfort zone or  "the way things have always been done".  At the moment, we have been forced to change, and business as usual no longer applies. 

Seize the moment and capture that momentum and mindset to help you move the needle toward more sustainable practices.  Often to create change we need to create a crisis.  Well, we have that right now, in spades!

So, what can you do right now to create positive change during this time of uncertainty?  Here's my top 10 to get you started:

1. Get your hands on my free download - 25 Ideas for Starting Sustainability that aren't recycling, composting or worm farms...
2. Think about what sustainability means to you and why it is important to you, and your service.
3. Reflect on your current practices.  Can you see sustainability there?
4. Envision a better future.  What does your sustainable service look and feel like?
5. Model sustainable behaviours, thinking and decision making. 
6. Join the Early Years Sustainability Facebook Group for some inspiration and support.
7. Get your hands on my Steps to Sustainability Guidebook to help you move forward with more clarity and confidence.
8. Book a Sustainability Roadmap Session with me and discuss you 3 best next steps to embedding sustainability in your service.
9. Have a chat with your team.  Find out if anyone else shares your interest and passion.  Ask them to join our community so you can work together and share the load.
10. Just start.  Do something that will create opportunities to have conversations and build momentum.  Small steps in the right direction will still get you where you want to go. 

Carpe Diem!