Purpose Inspired #45

PICTURE OF THE WEEK - #HORSE        

REFLECTION OF THE WEEK - #BIODIVERSITY        

What needs to change for biodiversity to get the same traction as climate change, especially in business? Repeating the bad news (60% decline in wild animal populations since 1970) has failed to inspire action. So what about setting science-based targets for biodiversity? Plant-based food and drinks company Alpro is pioneering this, working with IUCN and WWF to set 50% natural vegetation as a planetary-boundary linked goal. Another approach is adopting ‘no net loss’ as a non-negotiable biodiversity threshold similar to the 1.5º of the Paris Agreement. This means companies could make biodiversity offsets. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK - #CLIMATE        

“The bottom line is that we are gambling with our climate future, but we can still spread our bets”

Quote from Sustainable Frontiers | More quotes on social responsibility, sustainable business and transformational change

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK - EARTH DAY MUST DIE        

To Save the Planet, Earth Day Must Die

Earth Day has been celebrated since 1970 and since then the destruction of the Earth has gone into overdrive. Earth Day is symbolic of how we approach sustainability, with 364 days of business as usual impacts, and one day of feeling good about our favourite sustainability projects. In contrast, Thriving is about protecting, promoting, and restoring life on Earth every day of the year, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Thriving is a regenerative way of being in the world – and a positive way of acting for the world.

Read the full article | More in the Thriving series

PODCAST OF THE WEEK - HEARTS AND MINDS        

In any war, one of the mantras that has been repeatedly chanted by the military and media alike is the so-called “battle for the hearts and minds”. Take the Russia-Ukraine war for example. Commentators have dubbed this Russia's “propaganda war”. It strikes me that today’s multinationals are engaged in a very similar battle – to win over the hearts and minds of a growing number of sceptics and critics who are not convinced of the justice of their corporate crusade, the appropriateness of their tactics, or the acceptability of the causalities incurred along the way. This episode examines these parallels in more detail. As with the Russia's liberation propaganda, multinationals are zealously preaching the spread of the economic ideology of free-market capitalism, smug in their superiority since the collapse of socialist economies. And yet the growing anti-globalisation movement is unconvinced. For them, the fact that socialism failed in practice does not automatically imply that capitalism is beyond reproach.

Listen to the episode | Browse other episodes

POEM OF THE WEEK - CHILDREN AT A FUNERAL        

The shadow moved across the sun / And turned my world a pallid grey / The tide of mourning had begun / And then I saw the children play

They did not soothe my aching grief / They did not make the burden light / But as they played, I felt relief / A candle glowing in my night

The steady rain began to fall / And washed the poison from death’s sting / A sea of faces paid respect / And then I heard the children sing

They did not take my loss away / They did not turn the bitter sweet / But as they sang, I glimpsed a ray / A cycle turning, now complete

The rumbling storm brought lashing hail / Like pounding fists upon my heart / My anger rose to howling gale / And then I heard the children laugh 

They did not dry my veil of tears / They did not make my dark skies blue / But as they laughed, I took a breath / And gained the strength to start anew

Poem link | More travel and tribute poems | Life in Transit (book)

BOOK OF THE WEEK - AFRICAN DREAM        

This beautiful book of African inspiration combines the poetic words of renowned South African author Wayne Visser and the images of exhibited British photographer Bob Webzell in a celebration of the people, landscapes and wildlife of the luminous continent. This collection includes the well-known poem, I Am An African.

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THOUGHT OF THE WEEK - LIFE IN THE WILD        

There is something about life in the wild that is irresistibly attractive. We are drawn to this wildness, not just because it reminds us how incredible nature is – but also because it reveals our true nature. In the complex web of life, we are a shining strand: born wild, grown beautiful and living free.

Discover more inspiration

SPECIAL FEATURE - THE THRIVING WEB OF IMPACT        

For each reader of Thriving who posts a picture of the book on social media, I am planting a tree in my Thriving Forest. Together, they make up the Thriving Web of Impact (see who they are below). Together, we make the thriving movement thrive! Their trees will be planted in the Mau region of Kenya. Anyone can join the Thriving Web of Impact by posting a picture of your copy of Thriving and tagging me. You can also start your own Thriving Forest. Don't forget to join our Thriving Movement group on LinkedIn. And why not gift or recommend a copy of the book to your friends as well.

The Thriving Web of Impact: Bert Verstappen | Jose Luna | Rina Fetahaj | Prem Sundaram | Elizabeth Munoz-Lebaron | Colin Higgins | Prof. Dr. Khin-Ni-Ni Thein | Maria Florencia Segura | Raquel Passos Miranda | Hugh Blethyn | Annika Konttinen | Shirley Kempeneer | Carl De Cock | Tom Simmillon | Katri Koivula | Philip Verhaeghe | Dr. Ekaterina Ivanova | Laura Gemmell | Siviglia Berto | Daniela Manole | Joana Borges Coutinho | Christopher Banks | Urs Karl Egger | Magdalena Olivares | Piet Opstaele

Join the Thriving Web of Impact by tagging me on your social media post with the book

MORE FROM PURPOSE INSPIRED        

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