Have you ever heard someone say something like: - “My actions won’t make a difference so there’s no point in trying.” - “Big companies created this mess so I’m not going to change my life to try and fix what they should be fixing.” - “My efforts just get canceled out when rich people are still flying private jets.” Honestly, I get it. It can be hard to see how our individual actions can actually make a difference in problems as big as the climate crisis and industry exploitation. It’s not realistic that a singular action or person is going to create the tipping point in fixing those problems. But when we collectively change our actions, we create a cultural shift that those big institutions will have to answer to. Businesses change their supply based on what their consumer demands. Government representatives are responsible to what their constituents want to support. Yes— we need systemic and institutional change more than anything. But we, as individuals, play a role in catalyzing that change. Creating a better future involves all of us. That cultural shift or collective change doesn’t happen when individuals don’t opt in. And to think that billionaires or oil corporations “cancel out” our actions isn’t true either. While their harm outweighs that of what an individual can do, their existence doesn’t mean that your pursuit of change is in vain. Your positive individual actions don’t just cease to exist because negative action occurred somewhere else. Your actions are still contributing to the cultural shift and signaling and inspiring others to make the changes we need. What you do now paves the way for what is possible in the future. The world is better off because you committed to positive action— I promise! Pursuing sustainability may seem fruitless at times, but when we can create community and bring others along in enacting change, no matter how small it feels, we are creating that better future— together.