Letter to Suzanne

My dearest Suzanne,

I need you to come and sit with me for a moment. There’s something important I want to talk to you about. It’s about the world—the big, beautiful, messy, incredible world you are about to inherit.

When I look at you, I see so much potential. I see your curiosity, your kindness, the way you notice a ladybug on a leaf and treat it like a tiny jewel. I see the way you stand up for a friend without a second thought. Those qualities—that attention to detail and that fierce sense of justice—are exactly what the world needs now more than ever.

The topic I want to share with you is global sustainability. It’s a big phrase, I know. But let’s break it down. To me, it’s not just about recycling or turning off the lights, though those things matter. It’s about love. It’s about caring for our global home the way we care for our own home. It’s about making sure that the planet we leave for you, and for your children, is not just surviving, but thriving.

Think of the world as a giant, intricate web. Every single thing is connected. The clean air we breathe is connected to the vast forests. The food on our table is connected to the health of the soil and the bees that pollinate the crops. The water we drink is connected to the glaciers and the oceans. For generations, we’ve been pulling on the threads of this web, sometimes without thinking. We’ve taken a lot, assuming it would always replenish itself.

But your generation is being handed a web that is frayed in places. You are being handed challenges like a changing climate, polluted oceans, and disappearing wild spaces. And I want you to know two things about that.

First, I am so sorry. I am sorry that previous generations, including mine, didn’t always see the full consequences of our actions. We were focused on growth, on convenience, on progress, and sometimes we forgot to protect the very foundation that makes all that progress possible.

But second, and more importantly, I want you to know that you are not being handed a lost cause. You are being handed a mission. And your generation is the most equipped in history to take it on.

You are digital natives. You can connect with someone across the globe in an instant, understanding that their story is linked to yours. You are innovators, creators, and critical thinkers. You see the world as a whole system, and you’re not afraid to ask, "Why can't we do better?"

Global sustainability is your mission because it is the ultimate expression of caring for others. It’s about ensuring a child in a distant country has clean water to drink. It’s about protecting the polar bears in the Arctic and the coral reefs in the sea, not just for their sake, but for the health of the entire planet. It’s about building economies that lift people up without burning the world down.

This isn’t a burden to carry with sadness. This is an opportunity to build something beautiful. You can be the engineers who design carbon-neutral cities. You can be the farmers who revolutionize how we grow food. You can be the artists who inspire millions to see the world differently, or the teachers who empower the next wave of thinkers. You can be the consumers who demand better from companies and the voters who demand courage from leaders.

So, my love, as you grow, I ask you to carry this with you. Keep that innate kindness. Keep that sense of wonder for the natural world. Let your choices, big and small, be guided by a simple question: "Does this help or hurt the world I want to live in?"

You are not alone in this. It will take all of us, learning, adapting, and working together. But I have absolutely no doubt that your generation, with your passion and your connected hearts, is the one that will not only mend the web but weave it stronger and more beautiful than ever before.

I believe in you. We all do. Now, go and be the amazing world-changer I know you are.

All my love,

Always,

Christine