In pressing environmental challenges, words can ignite a profound transformation within us. “75 Inspiring Sustainability Quotes About Saving The Planet” is a curated collection of insightful reflections from thought leaders, activists, and visionaries who have championed the cause of sustainability.
Each quote serves as a beacon, guiding us toward a deeper understanding of our relationship with the Earth and compelling us to take action. This anthology of wisdom highlights the urgency of the sustainability movement and celebrates the potential for collective change.
As you peruse these powerful statements, allow yourself to be moved, motivated, and mobilized toward a more sustainable future for our planet.
75 Amazing Sustainability Quotes That Will Inspire You To Save The Planet
“The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.” ~ Marlee Matlin
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” ~ Native American Proverb
“Sustainability is about ecology, economy and equity.” ~ Ralph Bicknese
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” ~ Robert Swan
“The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.” ~ Joshua Becker
“The Earth has music for those who listen.” ~ William Shakespeare
“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.” ~ Jochen Zeitz
“There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.” ~ Annie Leonard
“If you really think the economy is more important than the environment, try holding your breath whilst you count your money.” ~ Dr. Guy McPherson
“If we want to move towards a low-polluting, sustainable society, we need to get consumers to think about their purchases.” ~ David Suzuki
“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” ~ Cree Indian Proverb
“Forests and meat animals compete for the same land. The prodigious appetite of the affluent nations for meat means that agribusiness can pay more than those who want to preserve or restore the forest. We are, quite literally, gambling with the future of our planet – for the sake of hamburgers.” ~ Peter Singer
“We can’t just consume our way to a more sustainable world.” ~ Jennifer Nini
“Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites.” ~ William Ruckelshaus
“Buy less, choose well, make it last.” ~ Vivienne Westwood
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” ~ David Attenborough
“The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” ~ Lady Bird Johnson
“Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle.” ~ Pope John Paul II
“Sustainability is the key to our survival on this planet and will also determine success on all levels.” ~ Shari Arison
“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” ~ Aldo Leopold
“Many people still believe that ‘green’ solutions are too expensive, but they are actually much cheaper when all of the costs to public health, social services, and waste handling are factored into the same equation.” ~ Majora Carter
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” ~ Charles Darwin
“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” ~ Aldo Leopold
“We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.” ~ Margaret Mead
“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
“The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.” ~ Richard Rogers
We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.” ~ Terry Swearingen
“Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.” ~ Ban Ki-moon
“The future will either be green or not at all.” ~ Bob Brown
“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” ~ Leo Tolstoy
“The earth is what we all have in common.” ~ Wendell Berry
“Man must feel the earth to know himself and recognize his values… God made life simple. It is man who complicates it.” ~ Charles A. Lindbergh
“The most sustainable way is to not make things. The second most sustainable way is to make something very useful, to solve a problem that hasn’t been solved.” ~ Thomas Sigsgaard
“Spend some time outdoors exploring where you live. When you love your home, you’ll fight harder to protect it.” ~ Kira Simpson
“Our planet’s alarm is going off, and it is time to wake up and take action!” ~ Leonardo DiCaprio
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ~ Jane Goodall
“He that plants trees loves others besides himself.” ~ Thomas Fuller
“The good man is the friend of all living things.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“It’s only one straw, said 8 billion people.” ~ Unknown
“Look after the land and the land will look after you, destroy the land and it will destroy you.” ~ Aboriginal Proverb
“It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live.” ~ Dalai Lama
“To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.” ~ Bill Nye
“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.” ~ Pedro Calderon de la Barca
“Every day is Earth Day, and I vote we start investing in a secure climate future right now.” ~ Jackie Speier
“Being green is more than just buying ‘eco’. It is an unshakable commitment to a sustainable lifestyle.” ~ Jennifer Nini
“The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it.” ~ Barry Commoner
“We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do.” ~ Barbara Ward
“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” ~ Gaylord Nelson
“Less is more. Simplicity is awesome. That’s all you need in life. Its just my personal philosophy.” ~ E.F. Schumacher
“Planetary health and personal health are interdependent.” ~ Dr. Dickson Despommier
“Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something.” ~ Carl Sagan
“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” ~ Paulo Coelho
“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” ~ Rachel Carson
“Sustainability is a political choice, not a technical one. It’s not a question of whether we can be sustainable, but whether we choose to be.” ~ Gary Lawrence
“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” ~ Thomas Fuller
“21st Century choice: Look after our planet, and it will look after us, or don’t and face the consequences.” ~ Phil Harding
“At its core, the issue of a clean environment is a matter of public health.” ~ Gina McCarthy
“We must return to nature and nature’s god.” ~ Luther Burbank
“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.” ~ Aliyyah Eniath
“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” ~ Jane Goodall
“Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.” ~ Kenyan Proverb
“What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” ~ Henry David Thoreau
“If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” ~ Chinese Proverb
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” ~ William James
“If conservation of natural resources goes wrong, nothing else will go right.” ~ M.S. Swaminathan
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ~ African Proverb
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein
“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein
“It cannot be right to manufacture billions of objects that are used for a matter of minutes, and are then with us for centuries.” ~ Roz Savage
“It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.” ~ Galatians 4:18 (Bible)
These quotes from various thought leaders, activists, and historical figures reflect the multifaceted nature of sustainability and the urgent need for action to protect our planet for future generations. They remind us of our responsibility to the environment and encourage us to live in a mindful way of our impact on the Earth.
