“You Are Brilliant, and The Earth is Hiring.”

The Unforgettable Commencement Address to the Class of 2009,

University of Portland, May 3rd, 2009

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.” Boy, no pressure there.

But let’s begin with the startling part. Hey, 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, the earth needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.

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Comments (2) Jun 17 2009