Sent on by
Court Baker
Send Your Own Message

Dear Sophie, Stella, Rhett, Gilda and Ellie,

I tried.

I tried my very best to stop it.

I composted, recycled, gardened, organized litter pickups, devoted my career to conservation. I gave up monetary wealth, and our culture’s idea of success. I stayed informed and got into lots of arguments. I shopped with reusable containers and bags, I bought second hand, I sewed, glued, nailed and repaired EVERYTHING – no matter how sick I was of it. I rejected palm oil, tropical fruits and New Zealand lamb. I created pollinator gardens and a certified wildlife habitat where there was just grass. I drove as little as possible, and carpooled. I took you kids outside. I went to rallies, I protested Conservative governments and unfair trade deals, I ran from tear gas, I signed every petition I could. I attended webinars, I shared on social media, I tried to learn from Indigenous leaders.

I did it all. And I did it until I couldn’t read anymore without feeling the dread. I did it until I had nightmares and had to stop reading the news. I did it until I cried every night. Then, I prepared an emergency bag, a kit with water, food and first aid so I would be ready for floods and fires. I began trying to manage my eco-anxiety.

I hope it mattered.

Share on:
 
Send Your Own Message

More Messages to the Future

 

Dear 2050,

Our planet is crazy. I pledge to be an innovator to make sustainable living real.

 

For my children,

If we haven’t done enough and the world you’re living on is apocalyptic or if you’re living on another planet then I’m deeply sorry and just know that I believe in you and I know that you are both strong and smart enough to handle anything.

 

To the generation after mine,

But when you encounter that resistance–and you will, regularly–know that you must respond just how we have had to these past 50 years. With love, and sternness, and most of all, courage. Because that is what the resistance fears the most. We who came before you promise that we will do the same while we wait for you. Know that you will never be alone.

 

To the future,

Today, I will hope and envision the future I wish to achieve. Then tomorrow, I will have tough conversations, I will call my local representatives, I will continue to fight for this world.

 

Dear little one,

In the coming months, we plan to complete a full assessment of our environmental impact online. We hope to discover our biggest areas of resource consumption, learn what we can do better, and create an action plan to improve over the next year.

 

Dear my future child,

I promise you, I am going to do everything I can to save this planet for you. I won’t let you down, I swear.

 

Dear Tripp,

I promise to do my part, supporting federal legislation to protect our earth while starting small with projects at home.

 

To my fellow adventurers,

Don’t stop looking for adventures.

 

Chers Enfants,

Chers Enfants,

 

Dear People Of The Future,

It’s scary, this is the stuff you see in movies about the end of the world.

 

I pledge to stop using plastic bags.

 

Dear humankind of today and tomorrow,

I do wish to contribute as much as I can, maybe even start a ripple effect, where other people will start taking action too and inspire other people too.

View All Messages

Send Your Own Message