As the holiday season rolls in, and we embrace a collective spirit of giving, it pays to spend a couple of moments reflecting on how giving is intertwined with sustainability.
For there’s no better target of our giving than the planet that we live on. And there’s no better investment in our own futures than the investments we can make in the future of our environment. Giving needn’t only be interpersonal; giving can be ecological, too. And when we’re generous to Mother Earth, everyone reaps the benefits.
The UN's sustainable development goals will guide the way.
At ALLY, we are aligning to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development goals.
In particular, unsurprisingly, we’re focused here on Gender Equality, for equality is at the very foundation of sustainability. A table that’s built with equal legs is designed, on a fundamental level, to continue standing. By empowering and embracing those who aren’t being treated equitably, we’ll cultivate a better planet.
Reducing Inequality extends beyond matters of gender, and applies to race, ethnicity, religion, and anything else that might commonly divide us. As we all know, yet often neglect to acknowledge, the unequal is at one with the forgotten. But in this holiday season’s spirit of giving, let us remember those whom we’ve shut out and kept low. Only by letting them in and raising them up can we orchestrate conditions that benefit our children and future generations.
Climate Action can be taken now. The solutions absolutely already exist. What’s missing, at present, is the will to move forward. At a primal level, with our workboots on, we can plant new trees in the ground, the better to absorb carbon dioxide while releasing fresh new oxygen. At an economic level, we can infuse the economy with jobs, the better to spur stable conditions for individuals and families all around the world.
We're ushering in the new year with fresh objectives.
Our work and all we do align with these five goals.
At their core, the United Nation's Sustainability Goals all come down to ensuring Affordable and Clean Energy. And we know that is going to take working together across industry and the public sector. But, here at ALLY day by day, we are working toward this goal by reducing our own carbon footprint.
We've moved to digital-only signage. We'll continue to contribute to living our mission by buying locally through sustainable and diverse suppliers. We're also excited to offer carbon offsetting at our events, meaning you’ll have opportunities, as part of your event participation, to contribute directly back to the environment. In general, sustainability will be receiving our company’s time, attention, and investment.
Because talking the talk is
never a substitute for walking the walk.
The current decade is ending. The Roaring 20s are coming! Let us work on redefining what it means to give. Let giving not just be a person-to-person thing, but a person-to-planet thing, a people-to-planet thing, and eventually -- per the nature of giving itself -- a planet-to-people thing.
For that’s the beautiful thing about giving: What we give comes back to us, at scale. Someday, some way, we always get back out what we’ve put in.
So, we will encourage our entire community. Be generous, now, to Mother Earth. She will pay us all back. She’s good like that. But know that it’s her home, and she makes the rules. To stay here in comfort, we must act as giving guests.
Have other ideas on how we can align to the five goals?
