Why did I start Fellows for the Earth?
- Reading time: 2 minutes
The other day I came across an inspiring YouTube movie by Prince Ea: "Dear Future Generations: Sorry!”. His narrative starts with an apology to future generations. It is told as if he is talking to us from the future. And while his movie is actually 5 years old, it could not be more relevant today. It reminded me again about my ‘Why' behind starting Fellows for the Earth.
That journey has certainly not been straightforward. On my travels I met inspiring people, read books, created time for reflection, took space for a sabbatical and came across a whole lot of other ingredients that I needed to spark my creativity and find my true calling. Looking back it seems easy to 'connect the dots' (credit to Steve Jobs for that quote); but the road I traveled certainly did not feel like that. It all started with the growing itch I felt while doing the things I did. Just earning money was not enough anymore. But what then? It actually took a quite a while before that itch was more uncomfortable than my desire to ignore it. From then on ideas started flowing quickly though:
- My chosen path as an entrepreneur was the right one for me; no doubt about that!
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Terms like sustainability, circular business models, CO2 reduction and renewable energy kept popping up everywhere around me.
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I got inspired by Richard Branson’s piece on ‘change as business for good’. It formed the foundation for my believe that building sustainable companies would be my most joyful and effective vessel for change.
During the journey my conviction that we need to take care of our Earth - before anything else - grew stronger and stronger. When I came across the Sustainable Development Goals as put forward by the United Nations, I quickly knew where my focus would need to be:
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SDG 14: Responsible consumption and production
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SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy
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SDG 15: Life on land
And that is why Prince Ea’s message - to make taking care of the Earth our first and foremost priority - reminded me of my own journey.
Connecting the dots again, it is easy to link the 3 SDGs above with the three areas our fellows have united their powers in:
The funny thing is though - I did not explicitly make that link when crafting the story of Fellows for the Earth in the early days of our company!
While reminiscing on the birth of Fellows for the Earth, I would also like to look ahead. For example, in our upcoming blogs I will share more details about each of the 3 areas above, what ideas we are working on and what specific help we are looking for. For now I would like to invite you to get inspired by Prince Ea as well: have a look at the YouTube movie by clicking here!
Guy
Photo credit: Her Quest for Love