Stop the flashing light

In this email a few weeks back, I offered a copy-and-paste template for publishing a climate declaration on your website.

Alison (not her real name) replied to tell me about a genuine fear about publishing it that was holding her back (over a few emails so I'll paraphrase)...

It wasn't fear about creating the declaration in the first place—she had a genuine desire to do at least that and more.

The fear was not knowing whether she'd measure up to it... In 5 or 10 years time, looking back, would she have done all the stuff she said she'd do?

Plus, it's just a page on her website—easy come, easy go. What if she made the declaration, saw that it was too big, then chickened-out and deleted it?

Such an honest response and I imagine she's not alone.

If this resonates, maybe astronauts can help...

In every space movie where there's a disaster (is there any other kind?) the astronauts find themselves in an impossible situation: Stranded on Mars; Losing oxygen near the moon; Sucked into a wormhole.

But the immediate question they face is not "How do we get back home?".

It's "How do I stop that flashing light?".

• Problem number 1: Figure out what's causing that light to flash, and solve it.
• Problem number 2: Figure out what's causing the alarm, and solve it.
• Problem number 3...

You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem... and you solve the next one... and then the next. And If you solve enough problems, you get to come home.

From "The Martian"

Your climate declaration is not a commitment to becoming the world's most sustainable company.

It's a commitment to finding your first problem, and solving it.