Kenneth E. Boulding Quotes

The goal here is to triple the lifespan of human beings. We can't have triple the natural resources, so we need to be more efficient.

There's no law of physics that says we have to be an unsustainable society - in fact, quite the opposite. The planet's ready to work with us if we're ready to think differently, but we do have to make that jump and start to do things in new ways.

We want to bring better products to Vietnam. My hope is through changes in lifestyle and the products we consume, it will affect the people and change the way they are thinking.

If managed well, urbanization can create enormous opportunities: allowing innovation and new ideas to emerge, saving energy, land and natural resources, managing climate and the risk of disasters.

If you're not producing as much as you consume, or perhaps a little more, then clearly we cannot use the big organization of our society for the purpose of keeping you alive, because your life does not benefit us, and it can't be of very much use to yourself.

If you're not buying recycled products, you're not really recycling.

Growth is a stupid goal. So, by the way, is no-growth.

So-called 'sustainable development'... is meaningless drivel.

The human race should just slow down and think about what it is doing.

The role of business is to provide products and services that make people's lives better - while using fewer resources - and to act lawfully and with integrity.

We say we need to clean up the environment; to clean up the environment, we need to be richer. But maybe getting richer is actually making us poorer.

The very fact that we find it hard to conceive of an alternative to limitless economic growth is an indication of our spiritual condition.

I have a company, and I've got to think about that. I'm trying to do my best there, and that's a much harder task. We recycle as much as possible, and we conserve. But I've always been one to save everything - I even walk up stairs on the very inside or the very outside to not wear out the tread.

We face the question whether a still higher standard of living is worth its cost in things natural, wild, and free.

Our entire economy is based on waste. We produce stuff we don’t need… How far is this going to go? I have a 5 word answer for you: Zero waste equals zero commerce.

The road to energy efficiency is, in theory, a sustainability sweepstake. More efficiency means that less fuel is required to generate a given amount of energy, which in turn means lower costs for the provider and cheaper prices for the customers.

Like all major transitions in human history, the shift from a linear to a circular economy will be a tumultuous one. It will feature heroes and pioneers, naysayers and obstacles, and moments of victory and doubt. If we persevere, however, we will put our economy back on a path of growth and sustainability.

Whatever we do toward energy independence has to be done in the context of using less resources.

Sustainability is not just about adopting the latest energy-efficient technologies or turning to renewable sources of power. Sustainability is the responsibility of every individual every day. It is about changing our behaviour and mindset to reduce power and water consumption, thereby helping to control emissions and pollution levels.

If we put our policies in the right order, we have a sustainable society without lowering but even increasing our levels of wellbeing.

What humans aren't good at is trying to consume less, to consume less plastic, to not be lazy.

Among the most important lessons to be taken from the history of oil is not taking essentials for granted. Conserve oil, but also conserve water. If our Hummers are a red flag in oil, maybe our Jacuzzis are the same for water.

What people need to do is conserve what they have, .. There is a supply out there; we just need to conserve it. Going up and loading up your tank is not going to do that much. It's just going to deplete the supply, and the problem will eventually catch up to you.

If the world is to save any part of its resources for the future, it must reduce not only consumption but the number of consumers.

We can't run out of resources. Resources exist when the human mind sees how to use something.