Our Planet, Our Future

Though times are difficult right now, I find myself inspired by the way the world has become united by a singular threat. The World Conservation Congress will now be January 2021, but the theme of the congress, "One Nature, One Future", is more poignant than ever.

I am reminded of my first World Conservation Congress in 2012, in Jeju, when we brought the above banner to share a very similar message. “Our Planet, Our Future” was drawn by young immigrant children in the Bay Area under the guidance of their teacher, Elena Garnache.

The world imagined by these children is lush, its oceans blue, and its people live as a part of nature, not separate from it. Through these trying times, I look at what these children imagined for us and feel warmed and hopeful, and I pray for a future where we live connected - One future, one nature, one singular, beautiful, blue planet.