The Best Sustainability Quotes to Inspire and Motivate

In this article I’ve compiled some of the best sustainability quotes to get you feeling inspired and refreshed. Hopefully they can even motivate you to make change in your life, however big or small to protect the environment.

We all have the power to make change, and although taking small actions -- like swapping a plastic bag for a reusable one -- can feel like they don't make a difference, just imagine what life would be like if everyone made these small changes. That would be huge!

Remember, your actions are all significant, even if it doesn't feel like it. Millions of tiny raindrops have the power to shape mountains over time!

Reading sustainability quotes like these always gives me a surge of new motivation, and reconnects me to my love of the environment. I hope they do the same for you, and get you motivated to make more green lifestyle choices.

The Very Best Sustainability Quotes

“Sustainability is treating ourselves and our environment as if we are to live on this Earth forever” – Arron Wood

Infinite growth of material consumption in a finite world is an impossibility.” – E.F. Schumacher

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Native American proverb

“The starting point is not design, the starting point is sustainability.” – Stella McCartney

“The Earth is a fine place worth fighting for.” – Ernest Hemingway

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” – Anna Lappe

“Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” – Walter Anderson

“When sustainability is viewed as being a matter of survival for your business, I believe you can create massive change.” – Cameron Sinclair

“The little things that citizens do. That’s what will make the difference.” – Wangari Maathai

“We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.” – Margaret Mead

“We can sit back, do nothing, and watch or planet be destroyed. Or we can take action, become advocates, and make choices which are kinder to people and the planet.” – Kira Simpson

“The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.” – Marlee Matlin

“It is our collective and individual responsibility… to preserve and tend to the world in which we all live.” – Dalai Lama

“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” – Henry David Thoreau

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. ” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Benefits of Nature for Mental Health

Diving a little bit deeper, here are some of the benefits of nature for both mental and physical health. There is such an abundance of benefit that the planet can offer us -- let's fully enjoy those gifts!

1. Getting Into Nature Helps Regulate Our Hormones

Amazing, right? Simply immersing ourselves in nature has the power to regulate our hormones, from the stress hormone cortisol to the hormones that control our circadian rhythms.

While it’s not exactly clear how being in nature causes reductions in stress, anxiety and depression, there is a growing body of research from esteemed research facilities such as Harvard Medical School and Yale that are finding and investigating these benefits of getting outside. Even without knowing the how, I think we can all benefit from a little more time outdoors! In fact, certain countries have introduced public health recommendations that include spending five hours in the forest per month to prevent depression.

When it comes to our circadian rhythms, simply being exposed to natural light — especially in the morning — can do wonders for our bodies, which are kept indoors the majority of the time. The effects of having a well-regulated circadian rhythm? Increased energy, better sleep, and better mood.

2. Physical Activity In Nature = Pure Magic

Want to increase the benefits of getting out into nature tenfold? Throw some physical activity into the mix!

Go for a walk in a local park, go biking, hiking, running… anything that will get you moving! By moving your body outside, you get all the benefits of exercise — increased fitness, strength, that endorphin rush; the list goes on — plus the stress-relieving, blood-pressure lowering, vitamin D producing benefits of being in nature.

The benefits of exercising and getting out into nature both compliment and enhance each other. In other words, try going for a nice long walk sometime today if you are able to do so!

3. Being Outdoors Lowers Blood Pressure

Another great connection between nature and mental health? It reduces our blood pressure, which is associated with high levels of stress, anxiety and anger.

This phenomenon is believed to be closely related to the stress-relieving benefits of nature. This is also simply being due to the fact that in nature there is an abundance of fresh, clean air to breathe; in environments where the air is more polluted, our bodies have more trouble getting the oxygen we need, which increases blood pressure.

4. The Wilderness Is A Great Place To Unplug

This one is simple, but so powerful: when we’re immersed in nature, it’s easy to unplug from our technology.

When surrounded by trees, ocean, mountains or anything else, it’s so much easier to stay in the moment… without checking how many likes you got on that last photo every five minutes.

In the world of instant gratification that we live in, it is really beneficial to take step back sometimes; allow ourselves to be rather than do. Not to mention, it’s harmful to our mental health when we are constantly absorbed in the world of social media, comparing ourselves to others and being bombarded with messages.

Of course, this is one link between nature and mental health that depends on you. You are the only one who can make the decision to stay away from your technology for a bit while outside. Try going for a walk without your phone this week, and see how things go!

To Finish Things Off...

I hope you found these sustainability quotes inspiring and motivating to live a more green lifestyle -- even one tiny change can make a difference! If you need more resources to help you on your sustainable journey, feel free to check out the free resources on my blog. Sending you all so much love in the meantime!

Wishing you joy and light,

Emma

References

Sour mood getting you down? Get back to nature from Harvard Medical School. Published July 2018.

Spend Time in Nature to Reduce Stress and Anxiety from Heart.org. Published August, 2018.

Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing White, M.P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J. et al. Sci Rep 9, 7730 (2019).

Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. NCBI, Christine Blume,1,2,3Corrado Garbazza,1,2 and Manuel Spitschan, published August 2019

Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review from Children & Nature Network

The great outdoors: how a green exercise environment can benefit all Gladwell, Valerie F et al. Extreme physiology & medicine vol. 2,1 3. 3 Jan. 2013

It’s official — spending time outside is good for you Science Daily, University of East Anglia. Published July 2018.