I’m in a state of disbelief about the world we’re leaving you to live in, because we’ve been such poor stewards of it. I promise to angle for change through multiple means: individual actions, influencing our local community, and lobbying for systemic change. I promise to look for levers that have broader influence, like advocating for Indigenous ways of knowing to shape policies. I promise not to give up.
To my future children,
I am doing everything I can because I want the footprint that I leave behind to be my feet in the sand on a beach and not a carbon one.
Dear Zhengqing Gao,
Fortunately, you didn’t get injured while the wildfire burned your school.
Dear Tomorrow,
Be the person who shows up. Be the person who continues to advocate for change because change is possible – it is possible in the most partisan of politics.
I pledge to use less plastic!
Dear Tomorrow,
I promise to drive less and walk more.
I promise to take shorter showers.
Dear Tomorrow,
I promise composting in my house and getting an EV for my first car.
Dear Kids,
I know it’s long past time to wake up. You deserve a future in which drought, famine, and war are not all your children ever know; the choices my generation makes now will determine your future.
Dear Lillyana,
I will continue to work to make the Earth a cleaner and safer place for you to grow and explore.
Dear Jackson,
I feel deeply that it is my moral obligation as your Mom to protect your future and allow you to inherit a clean and healthy planet.
Dear World,
I vow that I will try to make a difference every day, so that you may enjoy the world as I have.
To the future generations,
I will stand on the streets, in the courts, and in the schools to encourage awareness and empathy for the earth.
