To my son Michael,

If you are reading this then you should be about the same age I am now. Today you figured out how to grab your toy zebra and your next mission is to fit him in your little mouth. You are the most important thing in the world to your mother and me. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I want you to know how much you are loved and how proud we are of you.

I want you to have every opportunity in life to succeed and be happy. Your generation will likely experience a world very different from mine. Today, the first effects of climate change are still being denied even as the evidence becomes more clear. It is easy for the individual to ignore climate change or to not feel responsible. The hard truth is that all of mankind has lead us to this point and that it will take all of us to correct things.

I will do my part by doing my best to change my wasteful habits. I will seek ways to increase the sustainability of our home and I will find ways to decrease the trash I create. I will use my wallet to influence businesses to pursue sustainable practices and products. If more people make similar changes then perhaps your children will never know how close we came to destroying the earth.