"We need to take sustainable action now"

Environmental changes are underway around the world that could potentially reduce our quality of life. The effects will be particularly severe and felt earlier in places where environmental conditions are already difficult and financial resources are limited. This social inequality also leads to tensions within our society and on a global level. We therefore need to take sustainable action now, before the situation becomes hopeless for our environment and the climate. This means that we should change our goals and values and act with foresight - in our use of our planet's resources and in our social interaction.

On the one hand, our culture is out of balance. We live in a consumer experience society in which people are led to believe that they always need new, better, bigger products and experiences in order to be happy and fulfilled. Globalization and digitalization further encourage this trend towards excess. The second hurdle lies at the level of the individual. Those who want to act and live sustainably generally have to overcome various stages: Information on the topic, motivation, planning, implementation and routinization. Most people find this 'effort' too great.

However, sustainable action can only be established and maintained if suitable strategies become routinized processes in everyday life. And for this, the individual also needs the support of the social environment and appropriate organizational and infrastructural offers. Here I would also like to refer to our "Climate Neighborhood" project.

Mindfulness can help you to clarify your own values and goals. Through mindfulness techniques, a person first comes out of the stress of everyday life and into calmness. This enables you to recognize and reflect on your own values and goals. You can rethink materialistic values and downgrade their priority. Mindfulness promotes closeness to nature and thus an awareness that is geared towards the preservation of nature and the environment. In addition, mindfulness also fosters a benevolent attitude towards other living beings - it makes us more social. All of these are fundamental aspects of sustainability.

At first glance, for example, eating sustainably produced food is more expensive. However, if we understand and learn how we can live happily and well with less consumption and more solidarity, then sustainability even offers the potential to save money. By consuming less animal-based food and fast food products, for example, we can reduce the cost of food.

Every evening when I look back on the day, I say to myself: "The main thing is to be heading in the right direction!" The important thing is not to set your goals too high, but to take small steps every day to make your life more sustainable. And then you can regularly check whether your values and your actual actions match.