We acknowledge that the land on which we gather, live, and work is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Ojibwe and Dakota people, who were the first stewards of this land and its waters. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. We honor their deeply rooted history of sustainable relationship-building with the earth—living in reciprocity with nature rather than in opposition to it—and we seek to learn from their enduring legacy.
We recognize that the health of our planet is in crisis, and we accept our shared civic responsibility to ensure that we share our good works with the planet. We commit to moving beyond words and into measurable practice by:
- Reusing and Reimagining: Shifting our mindset away from a disposable culture by prioritizing the reuse of materials and extending the lifecycles of our resources.
- Recycling with Intention: Implementing rigorous recycling practices and supporting circular systems that minimize our footprint.
- Creating Community Gardens: Encouraging our neighbors to grow food to connect with the Earth and be nourished by that act.
- Improving the World Around Us: Actively working to leave our local ecosystems better than we found them through community-driven restoration and conservation efforts.
True environmental stewardship requires the power of community and economic collaboration. We pledge to use local businesses as our partners in sustainability, ensuring our economic choices support a resilient, green local economy. Through these partnerships and collective action, we aim to inspire and help people of all nations be better advocates of the land and our shared communities.
We do this with a profound sense of urgency and awareness: our children will inherit the consequences of our choices today. By teaching, practicing, and demanding environmental responsibility today, we are actively shaping a sustainable, vibrant, and just world for the generations to come.
