--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In planetary terms, we're all downstream." description: "\"In planetary terms, we're all downstream.\" — William McDonough" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/william-mcdonough-10055_planetary_in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream_3049834.png" --- # In planetary terms, we're all downstream. ![“In planetary terms, we're all downstream.” quote by William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/william-mcdonough-10055_planetary_in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream_3049834.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/william-mcdonough-10055_planetary_in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream_3049834.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/william-mcdonough-10055_planetary_in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream_3049834.png) > “In planetary terms, we're all downstream.” [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human activities affect the environment downstream; we must consider ecological impact in all actions. **In simple terms:** We are all downstream in planetary systems. Key Takeaway Act with ecological awareness. Themes environment systems thinking responsibility ecology sustainability Mood thoughtful concerned Type environmental philosophical When to use this quote - product design - policy making - urban planning - resource use Key Concepts downstream effects interconnectedness planetary health Questions to Reflect On - How does your work affect downstream ecosystems? - What steps can reduce negative downstream effects? A Different Perspective Ignoring downstream impact harms ecosystems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Downstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downstream-615983/) [Planetary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planetary/) [Planetary Terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planetary-terms-5067420/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terms/) [Terms Downstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terms-downstream-5067421/) ## Related quotes > [That's what life is, a continual state of journey. You are a river passing downstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/that-s-what-life-is-a-continual-state-of-journey-you-are-a-river/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [“In the beginning we are all floating downstream. At some point we become aware that the currents are dragging us down and that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-levine/in-the-beginning-we-are-all-floating-downstream-at-some-point-we-2/) [Noah Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-levine/) > [We all live downstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-all-live-downstream/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [Everything that we want is downstream... And you don't have even have to turn the boat and paddle downstream, just let go of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/everything-that-we-want-is-downstream-and-you-don-t-have-even-have-to/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Let go of the oars... Everything you want is downstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/let-go-of-the-oars-everything-you-want-is-downstream/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Typically, settlements, habitations, roads and major trails are in river valleys and on bodies of water. If you are lost, your best bet is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/typically-settlements-habitations-roads-and-major-trails-are-in-river/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/if-life-is-a-river-then-pursuing-christ-requires-swimming-upstream/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [Downstream is always someone else's up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/downstream-is-always-someone-else-s-up/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The downstream effects are unknown. Do your best and hope for the best. If you're improving the world-however you define that-consider your job well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-downstream-effects-are-unknown-do-your-best-and-hope-for-the-best/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [“Best let water passed under the bridge keep on trickling downstream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/best-let-water-passed-under-the-bridge-keep-on-trickling-downstream/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [“In the beginning we are all floating downstream. At some point we become aware that the currents are dragging us down and that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-levine/in-the-beginning-we-are-all-floating-downstream-at-some-point-we/) [Noah Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-levine/) > [“As someone once said about water pollution, we all live downstream. We are all interconnected, and we can no longer afford the luxury of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/as-someone-once-said-about-water-pollution-we-all-live-downstream-we/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [Everything we are, everything we're building, everything we aspire to become, lives downstream from the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/everything-we-are-everything-we-re-building-everything-we-aspire-to/) [Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/) > [“When they reached the river, he turned left. “ Tohobt Pah-e-hona , Blue Water River. You call it the Brazos, eh?” He pointed ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/when-they-reached-the-river-he-turned-left-tohobt-pah-e-hona-blue/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [We are considering various ways of making use of our oil and gas downstream industries. This is to be complemented with the import of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassanal-bolkiah/we-are-considering-various-ways-of-making-use-of-our-oil-and-gas/) [Hassanal Bolkiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassanal-bolkiah/) ## More by William McDonough > [Honor commerce as the engine of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/honor-commerce-as-the-engine-of-change/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I am very focused on large-scale deployments of renewable power and how we're going to get this done. Imagine our military bases covered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-am-very-focused-on-large-scale-deployments-of-renewable-power-and/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [You don't filter smokestacks or water. Instead, you put the filter in your head and design the problem out of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-don-t-filter-smokestacks-or-water-instead-you-put-the-filter-in/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If design is the first signal of human intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-design-is-the-first-signal-of-human-intention/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [ You need that same creative force that exists in a building like Disney \[Walt Disney Concert Hall\] to actually tackle that most prosaic of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-need-that-same-creative-force-that-exists-in-a-building-like/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [And to use something as elegant as a tree? Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/and-to-use-something-as-elegant-as-a-tree-imagine-this-design/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I'd so much rather have exciting architecture that causes one to stop, breathe, and reflect on the potential of the human mind, the craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-d-so-much-rather-have-exciting-architecture-that-causes-one-to-stop/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things-products, packaging, and systems-from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/to-eliminate-the-concept-of-waste-means-to-design-things-products/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [We are not a green standard, we are a quality standard. We're different, we're multi dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-are-not-a-green-standard-we-are-a-quality-standard-we-re-different/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If anybody here has trouble with the concept of design humility, reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-anybody-here-has-trouble-with-the-concept-of-design-humility/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [The problem I have with carbon as a bad thing issue, is that people go out and say they want to be zero carbon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad-thing-issue-is-that-people-go/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If you don't have an end game of something delightful, you're just moving chess pieces around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-you-don-t-have-an-end-game-of-something-delightful-you-re-just/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [“Ultimately a regulation is a signal of design failure...it is what we call a license to harm: a permit issued by a government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/ultimately-a-regulation-is-a-signal-of-design-failure-it-is-what-we/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I just think it is so delightful to see people, let their elbows free. I think the exuberance of it all is really exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-just-think-it-is-so-delightful-to-see-people-let-their-elbows-free/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Explore all 68 William McDonough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ## More Planetary quotes > [The story seems to be that almost every star has a planetary system... and, also, the definition of 'habitable zone' has expanded. In our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-drake/the-story-seems-to-be-that-almost-every-star-has-a-planetary-system/) [Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-drake/) > [I read 'The High Frontier' in high school. I read it multiple times, and I was already primed. As soon as I read it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-read-the-high-frontier-in-high-school-i-read-it-multiple-times-and/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [The planetary phase of history has begun, but the future shape of global society remains profoundly uncertain. Though perhaps improbable, a shift toward a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raskin/the-planetary-phase-of-history-has-begun-but-the-future-shape-of/) [Paul Raskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raskin/) > [The Kuiper Belt is the largest mapped structure in our planetary system, three times as big as all the territory from the sun out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/the-kuiper-belt-is-the-largest-mapped-structure-in-our-planetary/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [“But human beings, too, are ephemeral things in the planetary scale. The number of things that they do not notice are literally astronomical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/but-human-beings-too-are-ephemeral-things-in-the-planetary-scale-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [All life on Earth is subject to the rumbles and rockings of the parent stucture which has no control over the disastrous effects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kirby/all-life-on-earth-is-subject-to-the-rumbles-and-rockings-of-the/) [Jack Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kirby/) > [It is a mystic maxim that the lower in the scale of evolution a being is placed, the more certainly it responds to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-heindel/it-is-a-mystic-maxim-that-the-lower-in-the-scale-of-evolution-a-being/) [Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/) > [Always try to be the {guiding star of a mans life, but never make the mistake of fancying that you are his whole planetary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arvie/always-try-to-be-the-guiding-star-of-a-mans-life-but-never-make-the/) [Arvie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arvie/) > [“Uncle Yuichi: Something's moving up there? Hmm... I don't see anything. It was probably a satelite. Punpun (with gums flapping): Could I have discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inio-asano/uncle-yuichi-something-s-moving-up-there-hmm-i-don-t-see-anything-it/) [Inio Asano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inio-asano/) > [My field is called planetary science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/my-field-is-called-planetary-science/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [We're all on-board the same planetary spaceship, but together, we can move mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-payette/we-re-all-on-board-the-same-planetary-spaceship-but-together-we-can/) [Julie Payette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-payette/) > [In the seventeenth century, the science of medicine had not wholly cut asunder from astrology and necromancy; and the trusting Christian still believed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/in-the-seventeenth-century-the-science-of-medicine-had-not-wholly-cut/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [“This is the light of the mind, cold and planetary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/this-is-the-light-of-the-mind-cold-and-planetary/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Because the planetary culture is becoming ever more closely knitted together all its parts are becoming co-dependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/because-the-planetary-culture-is-becoming-ever-more-closely-knitted/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [There's no rest when you're on planetary duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/there-s-no-rest-when-you-re-on-planetary-duty/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) [Browse all 57 Planetary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planetary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In planetary terms, we're all downstream.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William McDonough" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Planetary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/william-mcdonough-10055_planetary_in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream_3049834.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/william-mcdonough-10055_planetary_in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream_3049834.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/william-mcdonough-10055_planetary_in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream_3049834.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In planetary terms, we're all downstream.” — William McDonough", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William McDonough", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In planetary terms, we're all downstream.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/in-planetary-terms-we-re-all-downstream/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```