“The challenge of sustainability and peace begins with us.”

Dear excellencies, dear colleagues,

I want to take you all on a journey, to another time, to another place. Sweden anno 1908. Here was the first person born, who – in my life – became a sustainability shark, a food waste hunter, and a care-for-creation- champion. Her name was Hildur, and she was my grandmother. She lived through two world wars, the crash of the economy in 1929, and the Cold War. She migrated to Denmark, where she married my grandfather, who was a farmer and a beekeeper in Denmark.

Long before any Michelin chef had thought about fermentation, seasonal dishes, and locally sourcing, my grandmother grew all her own food, baked bread and cake, pickled her vegetables, and used fermentation. Why? Because it was necessary to survive, but also out of a mindset that we need to take care of creation and be stewards of our resources, which is why no food was wasted, no room was heated, and no light was switched on if you were not in that room. I call this sort of living the Hildur-doctrine.

Fast forward to today and a conversation about the challenges of sustainability and peace! About leaving no one behind and securing the well-being of the planet and people. The global community can issue as many statements about this topic as it wishes. The multilateral institutions can form lending schemes and issue policies on sustainability. We can debate the role of faith-based organizations and their potential if integrated into governmental processes. But none of this leads to real change, if we don’t change. If we do not mobilize change. And change is needed.

Looking into the near future, we will be two billion more on this planet. Feeding us all in a sustainable manner will be a huge challenge. Lack of food leads to malnutrition, migration, and conflict. More than 100 million are forcibly displaced. Already now, one-third of all food is wasted, while more than 280 million people faced acute food insecurity in 2023, and more than 700 million people are facing hunger in 2024. That is not just a financial problem or a sustainable challenge. That is a moral issue.

But the good thing about a moral issue is that we all can do something about it. I want to mention three things:

1. We can fight food waste with our shopping cart, planning our meals, being mindful about composting, and securing leftovers for the next day, while saving money.
2. We can appeal to our local or national religious and political leaders for a clearer focus on caring for creation. Not only with political tools but also where faith-based organizations use their own assets in a more sustainable way, divesting their pension funds and investments, and conducting Science-Based Targets (SBT) on their physical assets, and cultivating their land in a sustainable way.
3. We can care for our neighbors and their well-being at many levels.

The challenge of sustainability and peace begins with us. Especially us in the global North. If everyone lived as we do in Denmark, we would need the resources of three planet Earths. Therefore, it is key to consume and dine within the planetary boundaries and live a little more modestly.

But the good thing is that we are not alone in creating this change. Imagine what happens if 300 of us today reach out to ten of our friends, mobilizing them on the Hildur-doctrine of more sustainable living. And tomorrow, Thursday, these 3.000 reach out to ten of their friends doing the same. By Friday, 300.000 reach out to ten, and by Saturday this has turned into three million sustainable champions. By Sunday, we have reached 30 million, and by Monday, 300 million. On Tuesday, three billion people can be reached with the Hildur-doctrine creating real change for real people and the planet.

It takes courage and determination to change the trajectory of one’s life. Not least the consumer trajectory. But nothing stops us from being brave and bold – and living a little more modestly, just like my grandmother Hildur.

Thank you.