ESG is a term that has been used ubiquitously to describe sustainability initiatives within organizations. Within these three letters, however, lies a universe of acronyms, concepts, frameworks, and implementation hurdles that are often overlooked, making the subject sound deceptively simple.

For people like me from mountain communities, the forest is a sacred space, the one we enter for our annual rituals, cautious not to litter or shout within its realm. Animals were introduced to us through their scat and footprints. Our worlds were small, and resources seemed sufficient, abundant even, in the mountains, and threats were something fictional that existed only for people living far away.