from the sun magazine: interview with paul hawken

Lertzman: I think having hope is particularly salient for young people today. How can we educate young people about what is happening in the world and not rob them of hope?

Hawken: You can't rob people of hope if they've never had it. Many young people were immersed in an environmental cold shower when they were little and had no context for the troubling information they received. They were told about dying whales, global warming, polluted rivers, and clear-cut forests. The last place to start to educate a child aboutt he environment is with the problems. You want to start with the mystery. You want them to know and love nature even though they lack rudimentary knowledge of ecology. They'll learn about the problems soon enough, but in early schooling, they should play, have fun, and honor nature.

Children feel loss keenly, and they can see how absurd the present system is. Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange told an audience in Seattle during the WTO meetings that if they were confused about their priorities, ask a nine-year-old whether corporations should maximize profits or save the environment; increase CEO stock options or stop child starvation.

Children need a sense of wonder as a basis for understanding what is happening in the world. Such children will not be hopeless, because they will never relent, never give up, never stop working at what may appear to be the impossible task of restoring the earth.