A culture of consumption is the reason that my world faces such an ecological crisis, it is both necessary and proper to address the fundamental mindsets that have created such a destructive culture.

I promise to do my part. I promise to be the change I want to see in the world, and I hope that you, reader, will do the same.

When the worst consequences of climate change still feel far away today, or the barriers to acting on climate change seem steep today, I do not think about today. I think about you, and your world when you are my age.

If there is one thing that I taught you it is to be honest in your decisions as they pertain to yourselves and the earth in which you live.

I hope you are healthy and happy and that you feel supported by the ecosystem around you because we are all deeply truly interconnected. We depend on the earth to take care of us, and nature needs us to take care of her in turn. We all need each other.

I hope that you all can enjoy the Smokey Mountains in your lifetime too and that they look how they did back in 2017 when I saw them.

While there is still breath in this body I will give of my soul and my time and energy to making the world a better place, for you, and all the beautiful living beings of this world.

And, if this summer has taught me anything, I am content (because I have to be) living in this limbo, this seemingly endless waiting for the opportunity to change, when really the opportunity exists within our very selves all along.

I hope that we manage to change the system really soon, while there is still time. So that you are not left with the mess, and trying to fix something that you didn’t cause. I hope we figured out a way to be kind, and caring for others who will suffer more than us. A way to let go of the greed and look at ways we can help others rather than take from them.