Earth is hiring
The following commencement address was delivered by Paul Hawken at the University of Portland in May 2009. Judging from the number of articles that have reprinted this address, it has certainly struck a chord with many people. It certainly hits a number of notes that resonate with the part-time, pitch-in ethic behind Pro Oxygen and sites like CO2Now.org. Here it is, for you to enjoy and be inspired….
By Paul Hawken
When I was invited to give this speech, I was asked if I could give a simple short talk that was “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” No pressure there.
Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation… but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.
This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food—but all that is changing.
Thank you page
Big projects take small and big help from a lot of people. With much appreciation, we thank the following individuals who have helped CO2Now get started and keep growing….
Tania Akehurst, Adam Blainey, Sue Boyce, Jane Bradley, Jayson Brown, Peter Carter, Guy Dauncey, Keith Elwood, Blake Fallis, Chuck Frank, Maeva Gauthier, Marc Griesinger, Mavis Hanson, Franke James, Julie Johnston, Francois Laberge, Donna McGee, Foster McGee, Jack McGee, Traci McGee, Truman McGee, Joe Melton, Austin Nolt, Dwight Nolt, Lori Nolt, Nicholas Nolt, Richard Pauli, Rehan Rasool, Skye Spaulding, Will Spaulding, Michelle Steigerwalt, Gavrila Valentin, Alan Walton, Sue Walton, Jon Warnow, Erica Woodin.