A biography for Severn Cullis-Suzukihasn’t been written yet.
“Reducing our personal impact on the Earth via our ecological footprint, stop driving cars, eat less meat, all these things matter.”
“The Haida people taught me when you are depleted, go to places that are sacred for you - the ocean, or a forest. That is where you will find incredible energy.”
“Engaging with your school as a unit of community is pretty powerful.”
“When you pay for something, it's not just buying something from the store. You are actually supporting the political and economic structures that provide you with that good.”
“I began to lead two lives... one being a kid and the other starting to speak internationally about the environment... and advocating for social and environmental justice.”
“Despite humans killing off whales as much as they could, give it time and they come back. If we give nature a chance, it will regenerate.”
“Sometimes it's hard not to feel really negative.”
“When I was little, the world was simple. But as a young adult, I'm learning that as we have to make choices - education, career, lifestyle - life gets more and more complicated.”
“In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.”
“Racism really, really makes me mad. I can see identical traits in people from other sides of the world and I can't believe some people would treat other human beings like they weren't even the same species.”
“The '90s came, and then the 2000s, and we saw radical corporate interest extremism, we've seen the disparity between rich and poor just get bigger, with globalisation and the corporate agenda on the rise ever since.”
“I feel angry that I have been born into a society where, by no choice of my own, by no agreement, by no actual decision, I am inherently complicit in the destruction of the world. It is hard to do the right thing. You have to be militant. You have to be an activist. You have to be branded as green to do the right thing.”
“I don't want to be involved with just the environment because I think other issues tie so much into the environment, like native issues, children's issues, women's rights - I think they all completely tie into each other, even the economy.”
“I am only a child. Yet I know that if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this would be.”
“As a parent, I understand that on an individual level parents would do anything for their child.”
“In my home city of Vancouver, most people put out their recycling boxes. The organic grocery and cafe on Fourth Avenue is flourishing. Bikes are popular, and there are a few gas-electric hybrid cars gliding around. But as this new century begins, my twentysomething generation is becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world.”
“Growing up there was always a sense of 'We have so many gifts and we have to use that for the betterment of the planet.'”
“Slow business is an interesting area because it's taking into consideration the reality that we have to make a living.”
“When I became a mother, I was trying so hard, using reusable diapers, washing them, looking for organic supplies even though it's much more expensive, and facing so many challenges attempting to do the right thing.”
“A theme throughout my life has been the intergenerational relationships human beings have.”