Thrive Global
Date: September 11, 2020
By: Ben Ari

In the years of organizing environmental campaigns, philanthropy campaigns, I constantly hear people tell me “It’s great, and I’d love to participate, but I don’t have the time.” Or they’d say “when I have more money I’ll help.” The way I see it is that making an impact on the environment or making an impact on society is not about making a huge difference in a single day. It’s changing one little habit, one at a time, and it could be the tiniest one. Take one less plastic bag. Re-use that piece of trash. Share a portion of your lunch with the homeless guy. Smile and say good morning at 3 people every morning. Making a positive impact on our environment and society is not as time-consuming or requiring deep pockets as most people imagine.

The planet sustains our livelihood. Mother nature takes care of us, and we need to take care of her. The way to do that, is for society to be more aware of how we are impacting our environment. I was taught a Chinese proverb that I’ll be poorly translating: “While eating a fruit, pay respect to the tree the fruit came from.” I’ll add to the proverb and make it more complete to relate to this question: “and don’t cut down that tree or no one else can enjoy fruits.”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sam Yang of VAST.life. As a lifestyle brand founded in Los Angeles, California with global connections to Hawaii and Asia, Vast is committed to spreading good vibes, finding empty peaks, and celebrating the bounty of life in its many forms. We’re surfers, first and foremost, but we’re also much more. In our hearts, we’re explorers. We can be found in distant locales hunting the remnants of an off-season swell and we’re equally comfortable in the streets of Los Angeles as we are a back alley in Taipei. We’ve built our aesthetic on the people, places, and cultures we’ve come to love. We thrive on new ideas and collaboration. Because if there’s one thing we’ve found to be true, it’s that the best moments in life — whether it be a perfect sunrise session with one of your best friends or sharing a beer with a stranger at a far-flung pub — happen with other peoples.    [FULL  STORY]