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When I was about 8 years old, I asked my mother where all the trash goes. I had five siblings, so our household clearly disproportionately contributed to what had to be an immense problem. We lived in a nice suburb of Philadelphia, which meant��for most people that the trash they generated was out of sight, out of mind. I was to learn over time the scope of the problem, as seen .

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As time went by, I felt a need to try to do something significant to address our environmental crisis and unsustainable way of life. In May 2019 I launched Earth's Call Fund with a three day conference on the Aspen Institute campus. I brought in 700 environmentalists from around the world and had sessions exploring extinction of species, water degradation, social injustice, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, population control, etc. A year later I merged ECF and One Earth to form . Now, thanks to Chancellor Schwartz's focus on sustainability we have the Center for Sustainability Education at CU, which will make CU a leader in the field and inform the entire student body about the need to change our ways.

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If we are to survive and thrive as a species, we must move as quickly as possible to a circular, closed-loop economy and away from our propensity to waste finite resources with abandon. It's understandable to feel somewhat helpless��in the face of such a mammoth transition, but it's helpful to consider the wisdom of Margaret Mead,��“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”