THE LEGACY An Elder’s Vision for Our Sustainable Future Publication date: September 11, 2010

In his own lifetime, Suzuki has witnessed an explosion of scientific knowledge as well as a huge change in our relationship with the planet—a tripling of the world’s population, a greatly increased ecological footprint through the global economy, and a huge growth in technological capacity. These changes have had a dire effect on Earth’s ecosystems and consequently on our own well-being.

To deal with this crisis, we must realize that the laws of nature have priority over the forces of economics and that the planet simply cannot sustain unfettered growth. We must also recognize the limits of scientific reductionism and the need to adopt a more holistic point of view. Perhaps most important, we must join together as a single species to respond to the problems we face. Suzuki ends by saying that change begins with each of us; all it takes is imagination and a faith in the inherent generosity of Mother Earth. D avid Suzuki is an acclaimed geneticist and environmentalist and the founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.

He is the author of more than forty books and is a recent recipient of the Right Livelihood Award. He has been named a Companion of the Order of Canada, holds multiple honorary degrees, and has been adopted into three First Nations clans. Suzuki lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. - 30 - T he Legacy: An Elder’s Vision of Our Sustainable Future