353 quotes by environmentalists for you to enjoy

The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them. Paul Hawken

Natural Try First Rule Align Defy Forces Least Sustainability Them

We shall never achieve harmony with land, any more than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations, the important thing is not to achieve but to strive. Aldo Leopold

Justice People Liberty Achieve Important Harmony Strive More Shall Absolute Higher Never Important Thing Than Any Land Aspirations Thing

Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. Aldo Leopold

Examine Economically Terms Well Aesthetically Question Expedient Ethically Each Right

We are at the edge of an abyss and we're close to being irrevocably lost. David R. Brower

Abyss Edge Lost Close Being Irrevocably

Biodiversity can't be maintained by protecting a few species in a zoo, or by preserving greenbelts or national parks. To function properly, nature needs more room than that. It can maintain itself, however, without human expense, without zookeepers, park rangers, foresters or gene banks. All it needs is to be left alone. Donella Meadows

Alone Needs Nature National Few Preserving Rangers Gene Properly More Park Parks Maintain Maintained Protecting Without However Left Itself Than National Parks Human Expense Banks Room Function Species Biodiversity Zoo

No expectations, no tension between goals and performance, no outrage, resolve or intention, no action, no results. There's only one way to get a government - and a nation - to stop drifting to low performance. That's to wake up and insist on higher standards. Donella Meadows

Government Goals Wake Up Insist Nation Action Resolve Way One-Way Drifting Only Only One Way Results Outrage Higher Tension Performance Between Wake Up Expectations Get Intention Stop Low Standards

The actions of my government are not bearable. They devastate our natural resources and deprive our people. The politicians speak piously while practicing greed and divisiveness. They care nothing for the nation. I want to do more than withdraw my support. I want to tar and feather them. Donella Meadows

Government Natural People Speak Care Nation Greed Politicians Nothing Our Resources Our People Feather More Bearable Support Withdraw Practicing Tar Than Want While Them Deprive Natural Resources Actions

The kind of support the down-and-out need is the kind we have always refused them, the kind that would mean engaging with them not as objects of contempt, but as fellow human beings. Donella Meadows

Kind Would Objects Support Fellow Contempt Fellow Human Beings Always Human Refused Human Beings Mean Them Engaging Beings Need

The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems more resilient, which is a prerequisite for stable societies; its wanton destruction is akin to setting fire to our lifeboat. Johan Rockstrom

Destruction Value Fire Setting Our More Ecosystems Makes Stable Wanton Which Prerequisite Biodiversity Societies Resilient

It seems strange that bears, so fond of all sorts of flesh, running the risks of guns and fires and poison, should never attack men except in defense of their young. How easily and safely a bear could pick us up as we lie asleep! Only wolves and tigers seem to have learned to hunt man for food, and perhaps sharks and crocodiles. John Muir

Food Man Risks Strange Lie Sharks Men Poison Young Defense Easily Hunt Running Guns Seem Fond Seems Only Bear Attack Bears Except Could Never Pick Fires Perhaps Safely Learned Sort Tigers How Wolves Up Us Asleep Should Flesh

Beetles and butterflies are sometimes restricted to small areas. Each mountain in a range, and even the different zones of a mountain, may have its own peculiar species. But the house-fly seems to be everywhere. I wonder if any island in mid-ocean is flyless. John Muir

All the world lies warm in one heart, yet the Sierra seems to get more light than other mountains. The weather is mostly sunshine embellished with magnificent storms, and nearly everything shines from base to summit - the rocks, streams, lakes, glaciers, irised falls, and the forests of silver fir and silver pine. John Muir

Heart World Sunshine Light Weather Mountains Other Everything Sierra Summit All The World Lies Silver Seems More Magnificent Glaciers Mostly Falls Pine Shines Rocks Forests Than Get Storms Lakes Warm Base Streams Nearly

During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half warm enough until Emerson came. I had read his essays, and felt sure that of all men he would best interpret the sayings of these noble mountains and trees. Nor was my faith weakened when I met him in Yosemite. John Muir

Faith Best Men First Half Met Mountains Trees Enough Everybody Sierra Sayings One Half Weakened Would Admire Emerson Had No-One He Noble Reach Until Him Calling Read Sure Within Felt Came His Nor Years Yosemite Essays Them Warm Found Ever Interpret

Misery loves company. John Ray

Misery Loves Company Misery Loves Company

Algebra is the metaphysics of arithmetic. John Ray

Algebra Arithmetic Metaphysics

Security depends not so much upon how much you have, as upon how much you can do without. Joseph Wood Krutch

Finance You Security Without How How Much Depends Much

The snow itself is lonely or, if you prefer, self-sufficient. There is no other time when the whole world seems composed of one thing and one thing only. Joseph Wood Krutch

Time Nature You World Lonely Other One Thing Composed Seems Only Self-Sufficient Itself Snow Prefer Whole Thing

We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it. Lewis Gordon Pugh

Beautiful Survival World Most Beautiful Our Arctic Bears Polar Beautiful Place Most Because Very Depends Place Need Save

Globalisation has powered economic growth in developing countries such as China. Global logistics, low domestic production costs, and strong consumer demand have let the country develop strong export-based manufacturing, making the country the workshop of the world. Ma Jun

World Strong Country Logistics Costs Economic Economic Growth Consumer Develop Developing Developing Countries Powered Demand Countries Global Globalisation Making Domestic China Low Production Manufacturing Workshop Growth

We firmly believe the environmental issues cannot be addressed without extensive public participation, but people need to be informed before they can get involved. Ma Jun

Environmental People Before Believe Environmental Issues Firmly Participation Involved Without Issues Get Cannot Informed Public Extensive Need

Even the government understands that the environmental challenge is so big that no single agency can handle it. It needs collaboration among all the stakeholders - companies, governments, NGOs and the public. Public accountability will be the ultimate driving force. Ma Jun

Environmental Government Needs Challenge Will Single Big Accountability Collaboration Driving Driving Force Force Understands Ultimate Governments Handle Public Stakeholders Agency Companies Even Among

We can't go to courts in China, so we have to find alternate ways, like working with brands to try and create a level playing field by identifying the most obvious polluters. Ma Jun

Try Field Ways Find Like Most Identifying Obvious Alternate Courts Go Brands China Create Working Level Level Playing Field Playing Playing Field

Quotes by Environmentalists