Beyond the Green: How ELA Leaders Redefine Sustainability
When you think of sustainability, what is the first thought that comes to mind?
Maybe it’s climate change, recycling, beach cleanups, planting trees and anything that is associated with the colour “green”. While this association is correct, there’s more depth to it. Sustainability is about community engagement, humanity’s perseverance and unity. Advocating for human rights, reproductive health, a fair justice system, mental health awareness, access to education and overall inclusivity is in fact sustainability.
How do we practise it? A great starting point is to educate ourselves on global problems, and then be willing to contribute to the resolution of at least one of these. Fortunately, we are not alone in this as a lot of organisations nowadays care about being sustainable. They reduce paper or food waste, they ensure an equal hiring opportunity regardless of sex, religion, or cultural background and give back to the community supporting causes close to their values, as Huawei does with the European Leadership Academy motivating young females to become future leaders.
Some of this knowledge was already known to me, as I have been passionate about social sustainability throughout my university years. However, last summer Dr. Violeta Bulc introduced in her session on sustainability a whole new perspective, a perfect blend of sustainability and mental health. She spoke about the benefits of sustainable practices for humans, our need to be in touch with nature and how social justice and helping the ecosystem brings balance to us. She was so enthusiastic to share her passion project on Ecocivilisation, advocating for “tangible core values: the universal right to clean water, the universal right to clean air, the universal right to public space, and the universal right to knowledge as prerequisites toward a civilisation based on relationships.”
As a psychology graduate, I had never thought of the possibility of combining these two fields together, yet it makes perfect sense now. Sustainability and mental health meet when we dive into nature-based therapy, encourage sustainable living to reduce stress, and foster a sense of purpose and connection. Addressing eco-anxiety or supporting mental health via social and environmental justice, ensuring that all people have access to clean, safe, and nourishing environments is another shared area.
Dr. Violeta’s session was so motivational that I was intrigued to learn more about this movement, and after some discussions I will be assisting her team in future webinars as a psychologist and a DEI (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) expert. I am truly grateful for this unique opportunity and the whole new perspective of connecting psychology and sustainability.
My suggestion to all women reading this would be to always stay curious and open to new possibilities. Magic happens when you let yourselves be mesmerised and uplifted by innovative ideas and inspiring people. ELA is a fantastic place to be exposed to both groundbreaking ideas and thoughtful mentors.
Remember, curiosity kills the cat, but doesn’t it have 8 more lives to keep exploring?
Konstantina (Nina) Cheimara on 15/11/2024
