John Mott-Smith, Columnist

Dear Maceo (the name of my descendant to whom I am writing this letter), The Paris Climate Talks are over and I’m very happy to report that, finally, world leaders came together and didn’t leave the table until they agreed …Read more

Kelly Coughlin, Wildland Fire Fighter

When I started my fire career in 2001, the West was at the tail end of an 8 year drought cycle. A trend was emerging: Fires were becoming larger, faster moving and more unpredictable. Drought weakened the trees against bark …Read more

Tamara Cheshire, Indigenous Adjunct Professor of Anthropology and Native American Studies

Well my Great Ones, the Europeans finally tried to do something after all this time. We told them over and over again; we showed them how to sustain and live within the capacity of their environment; but for hundreds of …Read more

Roxana Robinson, Novelist and Biographer, Winner, James Webb Award for Distinguished Fiction

Dear Descendants, Already I know some of you, with your quick liquid eyes, your supple movements, the way you look and listen in your world. I’ll write to you, and to your descendants, the ones I will never know, you …Read more

Geraldine Brooks, Author, Pulitzer Prize Winner

I just flushed my toilet with drinking water. I know: you don’t believe me: “Nobody could ever have been that stupid, that wasteful.” But we are. We use air conditioners all the time, even in mild climates where they aren’t …Read more

Jane Smiley, Author, Pulitzer Prize Winner

Dear Great-Great-Granddaughter, Do you remember your grandmother Veronica? I am writing to you on the very day that your grandmother Veronica turned 7 months old—she is my first grandchild, and she is your grandmother. That is how quickly time passes …Read more

Judith Redmond, Organic Farmer, Environmental Activist

To Future Farmers, I can’t imagine what it will be like for you, many years in the future, but I hope that some elements of the California landscape are still around. I hope that the terrifically productive, deep soils that …Read more

Annie Leonard, Creator of the Story of Stuff and Executive Director, Greenpeace USA

It’s hard to imagine writing to the granddaughter of my own daughter, but if you’re anything like her - strong, smart, occasionally a little stubborn - then I have no doubt the world is in good hands. By now your …Read more