World Environment Day (WED) is just around the corner, falling on Saturday the 5th of June. WED was established in 1972 by the United Nations at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, as a result of discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. Almost 50 years later, it remains an annual reminder of the importance of protecting our planet.

GIST Impact’s vision is of a sustainable tomorrow: a world in which everyone measures what matters. A world in which investors and companies measure, value and manage stakeholder performance beyond just profits for shareholders.

As World Environment day therefore aligns so much with the heart of what we do, the GIST Impact team have taken a moment to reflect on why each of us takes action to protect the environment.

Here are some of the things GIST Impact colleagues said when asked why taking action to protect the environment was important to them:

“If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Sukhman Sandhu

“We are just tenants in the world, it’s our duty to make sure that when we leave, the world is in a better place.”

Rebecca Walker

“Because I’d love to see my future generation live and enjoy their life, just like my grandparents did.”

Neha Agnihotri

“Because the environment has put food on my plate, air in my lungs and has met all my needs and demands, despite my tantrums. The environment is like our Mom.”

Dipanjan Saha

“We are a subset of the environment, we cease to exist if it does. So, it’s not a choice, but a mandate.”

Pranay Kotwal

“Equity – for my kids.
Morality – because it’s the right thing to do.
Spirituality – because nature is a higher power.
Economics sustenance – because natural resources form the building blocks of the global economy.”

Anoushka Pinto

“Nature is truly the GDP of the poor, and to make poverty history, we must all make nature our future, conserving and regenerating as much as we can!”

Pavan Sukhdev

“I don’t want our future generations to live under a sky without stars, as over the years I have seen them disappear from view in many cities and towns. I believe stars are a reminder of how unique our planet is in being able to sustain life. They are a reminder to protect this unique planet & its environment – as is World Environment Day.”

Aishwarya Nair