Jostein Gaarder Quotes

From high school, you can see my Sierra Club card - I've been a member since 1979. That gives you an indication of early interest.

There is no larger collective-action problem than the environment. The three biggest lies of the environmental movement is that every little bit helps, you can do your part, and together we can do it.

I wanted to help raise awareness, so I created an environmental foundation called Just Within Reach.

That's the big mistake the environmental movement made - 'We'll scare the hell out of you, and you'll become an activist'.

I always knew that I was going be an environmental advocate when I was very young.

That's what hurts the environmental movement - holding people to a standard they cannot meet. That just pushes people away.

I am called an environmentalist a lot. But I don't necessarily identify with that word specifically, because of the compartmentalization of the so-called environmental movement.

Inevitably, ecological awareness has this kind of '70s flavour to it.

I have my own career. I'm an environmentalist.

I'm a latecomer to the environmental issue, which for years seemed to me like an excuse for more government regulation. But I can see that in rich societies, voters are paying less attention to economic issues and more to issues of the spirit, including the environment.

Journey with me to a true commitment to our environment. Journey with me to the serenity of leaving to our children a planet in equilibrium.

It's no secret - if you know me, have ever met me or have shared a meal with me - that I'm a passionate environmentalist.

The eco-movement is growing as people all over catch on to the need to protect our precious planet, which makes the future look really bright - and makes me really happy.

Environmentalism isn't a discipline or specialty. It's a way of seeing our place in the world. And we need everybody to see the world that way. Don't think 'In order to make a difference I have to become an environmentalist.'

I really believe in the environmental movement right now - it only takes a little effort to make a big difference.

I'm a little different from all those conservation types.

We have to stop thinking about ourselves so much and start thinking about the environment. We have to change.

My mom was an environmental activist in Australia in the late '60s and '70s, and I guess I've inherited that awareness from her.

Many environmental battles are won by delaying a destructive project long enough to change the conversation - to allow new economic, political and social dynamics to emerge.

Some of the environmental lobbyists of the Western nations are the salt of the earth, but many of them are elitists.

If you're not a tree hugger, then you're a what, a tree hater?

I have a major respect for nature. I'm an environmentalist.

I want clean water and clean air and conservation... that's not what extreme environmentalists are all about. For them, it is a religion. They believe in trees and animals, not God.

The environmental movement does not always have to be about stopping things. It can be about fixing problems.

My dad is very environmentally conscious, and so I've always been close to nature.