"Every day as you grow older, there comes a new lesson to be learned," Pablo Kraus writes. Photo / Supplied
"Every day as you grow older, there comes a new lesson to be learned," Pablo Kraus writes. Photo / Supplied
OPINION:
Pablo Kraus has a pretty important job as the CEO of Ecostore but his most important role is being a father. This Father's Day, he writes an open letter to his two children, Lucien and Claudia.
Dear Lucien and Claudia,
Life is always changing. Every day as you grow older, there comes a new lesson to be learned, something new discovered or a new adventure had. Ten years ago, I became a dad and it made me conscious of how you see the world. It motivated me to lead by example and I hope that you take something good from that.
"You already understand that living sustainably requires and results in balance." Photo / Supplied
It's inspiring to see the way you both are: to see the way you think about the environment. You understand what is right and wrong, that there is a certain way to do things, and that is why your generation is growing up to be the one that will rescue the planet from the mistakes of earlier generations. Your generation has all the tools – and more importantly, the mindset – to make the world a better place, now and long into the future.
It's in the little choices I see you making every day, like not wanting plastic in your lunch boxes. You already understand that living sustainably requires and results in balance. You don't take more than you need or waste what you have in excess. My wish is that you continue to be mindful of the impact you have on the world around you, from the ocean to the peaks of the mountains you love.
I feel extremely fortunate to have found a career path that allows me to help other people to live more sustainably. I hope that you are equally fortunate in your chosen careers: that, like me, you will get to work with people who are smart and passionate about inspiring small changes that will ultimately lead to a huge impact.
"I know that my conscious choices will become your unconscious habits," writes Pablo Kraus. Photo / Supplied
I know that you watch what I do, how I work and how I live: I know that my conscious choices will become your unconscious habits, and that inspires me to make good choices. But you must also understand that there are many people for whom such choices are much more difficult because they don't enjoy the same privileges that you do: I hope that you will strive to find ways to make those choices more freely available to everyone.
Every day my team and I ask the question: how can we do better? Innovation in sustainability is engrained in my team, and we are never satisfied with the status quo. I encourage you to take that same drive for improvement into your future lives – it will serve you and the planet well.
Every day, in everything that I do, I set out to make the world a better place with you in mind. To ensure that you have a happy and enjoyable life, I want your future to include a sustainable climate without wild swings in weather, safety from health and disease, peace amongst all people.
"Every day, in everything that I do, I set out to make the world a better place with you in mind." Photo / Supplied
Sir David Attenborough said: "Given the chance, nature can recover in the most remarkable ways. We are eating up the natural world for our own purposes … if the world can get together and stop doing it, there will be a huge improvement, and I'm optimistic."
I too am optimistic: that with your perception and greater understanding of the world and the care needed, the planet will recover, and it will thrive once again. It makes me feel hopeful for what lies 10 years ahead, and many more years into the future.
