As stated on our front page, NaturalGlobe's master plan is this:
- Sell products and make profits,
- Use the profits to purchase land and preserve/transform it into natural wildlands,
- Sit back and enjoy.
That means, points #1 and #2 are actually means to an end (#3). Let's talk about it in reverse order:
While it may sound inherently lazy and unambitious* to have an end goal of relaxation and enjoyment, isn't this what we all want to some extent? Isn't most of human ingenuity spent towards making our lives easier and more enjoyable? I don't think it is a uniquely human trait either. Don't you think a forest deer would like nothing more than to be able to graze in peace without fear of predators jumping at them from the bushes? Or that a predator would like to not constantly having to hunt, but instead could just lay around all day and get it's food from a nearby refrigerator? But I digress.. What makes the human experience unique from these examples is our ability to conceptualize, foresee, and have abstract thought in general. This means, that apart from the physical safety and comfort the far majority of (Western) individuals experience in their lives at present, we also think about our future. Both immediate and longer term. Which begs the question: Which - if any - problems do we see on the horizon, and how do we arrange our lives to combat or adapt to these problems? (So that we can go back to relaxing)
For my part, I think a key reason behind many people's state of depression, anxiety, and other less diagnosed forms of 'blues' can be attributed to exactly that. What we see on the horizon. Everywhere we turn, we see negative trajectories:
- 2023 is on track to be the hottest in human history,
- The global population is flying more than ever,
- Latest IPCC and IPBES reports speak unequivocally about deteriorating climate and biodiversity,
- and so on..
This gets us to point #2: Use the profits to buy land and leave/transform it to natural wildlands.
This is the "action" point. I believe that a lot of different action is needed to reverse the negative trajectories we see ahead of us, including research (fusion energy(?), ever more energy-efficient wind/solar, ...), societal change and more. But what can a small start-up such as NaturalGlobe do, without access to billions of dollars to perform research or up-heave current industry? To me, the best we can do is try to obtain as many funds as possible, and use them to establish, protect and revitalize natural habitats. To me, the benefits would be three-fold:
1. Buying land and letting it stay in it's natural state would make sure it stays a carbon sink, rather than a carbon source.
2. Having as much wildland as possible would give Nature's species the best conditions to survive and thrive. This is critical for the resiliency and adaptability of the ecosystems at large, to the benefit of all its inhabitants (including humans) but also humans specifically. For us specifically, it is a (maybe less-known) fact that a lot of species are in fact still undiscovered by humans. It is also a fact that some of the technological milestones upon which we have built modern society (including medical milestones) have roots in the discovery of plant and animal species with extraordinary traits and capabilities. Current projections tell of a rate of extinction that eradicates so far undiscovered species before we get a chance to learn from them.
3. Third, I strongly believe there are mental benefits to this approach. At least two: First, I think it is uncontroversial to say that most of us get a feeling of well-being in natural environments. It follows, then, that a greater abundance of such environments can only be to everyone's benefit. Second, there is the positivity that springs directly from supporting a project such as this. Participation is action, and it stands in stark opposition to the defeatist mentality that would seduce us into believing we can't make any meaningful impact through our seemingly insignificant individual initiatives. Instead, we offer the psychological reward of a mission to rally behind.
Lastly, we get to #1: Sell products and make profits.
This is obviously the enabler that allows us to buy land in the first place. It is also where we are now. Trying to get going, and achieve a growing and profitable business. One could argue, that if our goal is to relax and the way to get there is to preserve natural habitats, why sell T-shirts? Why not just establish a fund and ask for donations? That's a fair question, and the answer is this: There are already many well-run funds doing this, and households only have a certain amount of money to distribute between its various expenses. If a household has a surplus to donate to a wild-life fund, great! I encourage everyone to do so. What NaturalGlobe wants to do, however, is to tap into an expense that will be there regardless. The expense that goes to clothing, and on the longer run, other day-to-day items that households and individuals need to acquire regardless of their bias and views on the natural environment. This way, we hope to make it easy for consumers with a mindset like ours to choose our products over others', where the profits go elsewhere.
Now, let's talk specifically on where we are right now. At the time of writing, our business offers only one collection of slim-fit men's T-shirts. We have thoughts and plans to expand this considerably, both with regards to design, fit, and more. And we would also like to expand into hoodies, women's lines, children's collection.. Which one of these comes first, is still up in the air, but will be decided shortly. A deciding factor in this, will be to hear what the customer actually wants! So, feel free to reply to this post or reach out via email or SoMe and let us know what you would like to see from us.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and have a better understanding of the reasoning behind our business. Please share any comments or thoughts you may have.
*for full disclosure, it is written in a bit of a tongue-in-cheek manner.
- Niels