Why every footprint counts.

The world is a big, heterogeneous, and complex place. Changing it for the better is a collective effort, and far more than any organization, group, or individual can take on alone. But if we each commit to finding a specific area where we can have impact, then together we will build a better future.

As the late Wangari Maathi said: “We are constantly being bombarded by problems that we face and sometimes we can get completely overwhelmed.  The story of the hummingbird is about this huge forest being consumed by a fire. All the animals in the forest come out and they are transfixed as they watch the forest burning and they feel very overwhelmed, very powerless, except this little hummingbird. It says, ‘I’m going to do something about the fire!’ So it flies to the nearest stream and takes a drop of water. It puts it on the fire, and goes up and down, up and down, up and down, as fast as it can.

In the meantime all the other animals.. they are saying to the hummingbird, ‘What do you think you can do? You are too little. This fire is too big. Your wings are too little and your beak is so small that you can only bring a small drop of water at a time.’  

But as they continue to discourage it, it turns to them without wasting any time and it tells them, ‘I am doing the best I can.’