It is not just solar panels and electric cars that will save the day, it needs to be a deeper revolution. It needs to be a revolution of paradigm. The destructive belief system deems that the Earth is just here for us to use and any empty space we can fill up with our needs and wants. This paradigm will kill the planet – even with solar panels.

We have to start thinking about what we do and how it will look in a 1,000 years. Because everything looks great when its new and fancy but what will acres of solar panels look like after 10 generations. Most likely they will be another thing for the future to clean up. Let’s stop dumping on the future. It’s like asking your grandkids to wipe your ass. They will only do it if you wiped theirs.

How can we start the wiping process? One way is to change our minds about development. Development is such a sparkly golden word in our language, but it needs to be relegated to a dirty word because it equates to less open land for every creature on this planet. We must stop thinking only of ourselves. Our lives will be richer if we include other species- even if it is just wild grasslands or desserts. Just because we don’t see anything going on in an open tract of land doesn’t mean it’s devoid of life, hence is asking for the hand of man.

The future will need to put a kibosh on the development of raw land. Any untouched land will have to be sacred, even if it is in-between development. It is land for itself, not for us. We have already modified 14.6% of all the land and with our population expected to hit 8 billion by 2023, the legacy of our time will be felt for thousands of years.

What can be done? It is like all the other things- overwhelming. How much environmental guilt can one person load on themselves? As the hipsters recycle every scrap of paper, industry is dumping mountains of pollution. We can hit the streets or donate money to good-doers, but we are on a train running full speed ahead. Karma will run its course whether we are standing in front of it or not.   

One thing everyone can do is love the open spaces you see. Notice what hasn’t been touched. If we love the Earth, there may be some magic in that, and perhaps the Earth will love us back.