Living in a world full of available resources has been an advantage to all of us. The advantage though has been manhandled in many evident ways. Fear of loss of natural resources is building up day by day and thus, there is a call to act sustainably.

Sustainability is a task we inherit as we move on from generations to generations for it involves the very preservation of resources for future generations to come. Whether it be for climate change, over consumption, scarce resources, the biggest run for equitable access is to be made by the youth itself.

There are many people who inspire us by actually working towards acting sustainably and one of them would be Iceland’s eclectic singer-songwriter, Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Björk has involved herself with environmental issues for three decades now. One of her more recent projects included new environmental teaching materials that she created in partnership with leading Nordic artists and scientists. The project has already been piloted in schools around the world.

Björk often campaigns for the environment through her songs and has always been vocal regarding the importance of the natural environment in Iceland through her music as well. She headlined the Náttúra concert in the summer of 2008. The aim of the concert solely being to increase awareness for Icelandic nature.

Negative responses have always barged in with politicians around the world declaring climate change nonexistent, or at least not important, but Björk has always remained an optimist and has looked for options to focus on environmentalism. She says “The battle for the nature often gets so intense and negative; we don’t want to do that. We are not going to say what should be forbidden and what not. We are simply going to ask: ’What about the other options?’”

Björk has always been a source of inspiration and many other celebrities like her have contributed in their own little ways to help sustainability. The idea, however, is not just to focus on people with power to make a change. Every little thing that we do brings about one and it’s never too late for that.

AIESEC, in its core values, promotes the action of sustainability in all forms, as we believe it to be our responsibility to ensure equitable access to resources, if we are to live in a peaceful environment and be able to empower youth.

Being a young person, we hold immense power within ourselves to drive sustainability. How are you working for it?

Find your opportunity to impact sustainability at aiesec.org.