Today is the last day of 2025, and I was today-years-old when I learned that it is common for the year to end on the same day it started. This seems like such a full-circle discovery as I reflect on one of the biggest lessons I learned this year, travelling through my memory archives from the first Wednesday of 2025 to the last.
My Eureka Moment
A little over a year ago, I decided to start a Master’s programme in sustainability. At the time, I considered my options and felt that Leiden University’s Governance of Sustainability programme was the right fit. My train of thought was that, until that point, I had experienced sustainability from all the important angles. I had performed applied research, worked in the corporate environment and had some experience from the standard-setter perspective. However, even after these professional experiences, I still felt like something was missing to bridge the gap between the theory of achieving sustainability outcomes and practice. After completing half of my first semester in this new study, I am not only overwhelmed by the additional complexity as we flow between theory and practice, but I also had my Eureka moment! The status quo involves solving sustainability problems by relying on the same economic frameworks (and tools) that create(d) them.
Biggest Lesson Learned
For months, I had an internal battle because, simply put, I felt like a hypocrite. I was someone who despised a system that I, too, reaped the benefits from. After all, I have the privilege of following this master’s course. Ironically, now sitting in lectures where I again felt like a minority, unearthed an inexplicable discomfort. It suddenly dawned on me that before this programme, I was in a bubble.
You know the one. Yes, the bubble where you are constantly surrounded by like-minded individuals, where you never think about whether there are menu options for vegans or vegetarians when you say yes to going out. The bubble where you respect others’ opposing views while staying true to your beliefs. The bubble where most people value and feel responsible for their environment, regardless of the origin of this motivation. Now, I felt like I was swimming against the current. Constantly feeling the need to advocate for environmental initiatives because a lot of what I was hearing was about their limitations: limitations that exist largely because the boundaries are framed through an economic lens. The same economic lens that results in inequity and is deeply rooted in capitalism.
Make the system work for you
Imagine my surprise when I learned that this is a brushed-over topic of conversation. That we study wicked problems by applying economic terms, ideas and frameworks, but never thoroughly discuss or analyse how they perpetuate these problems. In a moment of absolute frustration, I turned to my community. I spent 1.5 hours on the phone with my friends about this revelation. At the end of the conversation, they told me two things. First, I need to learn how to make the system work for me. Second, this feeling of resistance is exactly what I need to develop my toolbox for the “real” world. My first instinct was to repel these ideas. Why torture myself when I can just find another bubble? But here’s the thing: if I were to do that, I am not certain that it would make a difference. Sure, I would be in my comfort zone. Probably, working on initiatives that could potentially make a difference, but what does it matter if the status quo remains?
Although I don’t yet know what it looks like, to make the system work for me, I have decided to study it more intently. To understand the history of this system and how it connects to the sustainability issues faced today. In my spare time, I have been reading different scientific articles, for example, this paper about the connection between colonialism and capitalism.
Sayonara 2025
Having reflected on this, I have decided to take my friends’ advice and fight the good fight. However, as I say Sayonara to 2025, I realise that there are three things I should always remember.
- One: I cannot change the world, nor am I solely responsible for it.
- Two: Reflecting on my position is important.
- And three: Making the system work for me and acknowledging that the system is problematic are not mutually exclusive.
As I close, I invite you to reflect on your year and the accompanying learnings. For those of you who resonated with the feelings expressed in this blog, I hope that it offers some encouragement as we continue to strive for a better environment. All the best for 2026!
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