Freedom, Love and Goodness
3 min read
Each year, Earth Day invites us to pause and reflect on our relationship with the world around us.
As part of the founding team of TWOTHIRDS, I have spent more than a decade working towards a more conscious relationship with clothing and the natural world, while my background in psychology has shaped the way I understand how we relate to consumption.
After more than fifteen years reflecting on sustainability and the way we live, I felt the need to put these thoughts into words, which later became the book Austerity: The Value of Simplicity.
What I share here is a piece of that reflection about Freedom, Love and Goodness.
"Almost daily, in the most ordinary moments, I have the same recurring thought: every action I take has a consequence. However, we live in a world that constantly invites us not to think too much, to simply choose what is easy and available, as if freedom meant precisely that: not questioning, not reflecting, just choosing quickly and moving on. When we stop reflecting, we do not become freer, we simply become less aware, less present, and less responsible. Without even noticing, our actions start to create harm. This is not freedom at all, or at least not the kind of freedom that truly makes us human.
True freedom, for me, is something much deeper and more demanding. It's not only about the ability to choose, but about choosing with awareness, with intention, and with the willingness to accept the consequences of that choice, understanding that every act, no matter how small, impacts more than just ourselves.
That is why I always return to three inseparable ideas: freedom, love, and good. Freedom is the ability to choose, love is what gives meaning and direction to that choice, and good is what naturally emerges when both are aligned.
And this is where I believe we need to speak more openly about something we often forget: co-responsibility.
The truth is that we are not alone. This is where co-responsibility becomes essential because when we choose how to live, we also choose how our actions will affect others.
To me, that awareness is a form of universal generosity: a quiet understanding that reminds us that we belong to something larger, that we are part of a balance that we did not create but that we are responsible for maintaining.
We are all called to be the best we can be to allow the existence of others, from the smallest flea to the great blue whale, from chimpanzees to unparalleled human beings. Even when that balance includes the complexity of life itself, we must strive to maintain the ecosystem.
Being sustainable is not just a trend, but a way of life guided by these principles. We must go beyond what is "eco" or "bio", and ask ourselves how our actions, from what we consume to how we nourish ourselves, truly impact the planet and future generations.
All of it returns to the same question: not how many of us are here, but how we live here.
Greenwashing (misleading advertising that makes us believe something is sustainable when it is not) is a major obstacle. We need to be informed, read between the lines, and remain critical to make free and loving decisions that contribute to everyone's well-being.
I know it's not easy, that sometimes it seems like living sustainably is more complicated. But it is our responsibility, as part of this wonderful Earth, to take care of it and leave it in better condition for those who will come after us. And we will do it with freedom, with love, and always seeking the common good".
With love,
Loreto
