Welcome to the first episode of Science Matters Colorado, the podcast that explores the environmental issues shaping our beautiful state. I am your host, Alex Hippenhammer.

I thought I would launch this podcast with a speech that has really inspired me to make some changes in my life recently. It is a commencement speech from Paul Hawken, the environmentalist and author. The speech is called “You are brilliant, and earth is hiring”. Hawken addressed the 2009 graduating class at the University of Portland with a call to act on behalf of the Earth itself. In his speech, Hawken invokes the spiritual through the scientific, and speaks to humanity’s collective identity rooted in our relationship to mother Earth. When I read this speech, I am reminded of the wonder, abundance, and beauty that we are granted each day if we pause to recognize it. I am also reminded of the most important work that needs to be done - that of restoring the planet and its systems. Hawken’s speech is a much-needed reminder that our acts of restoration must be rooted in a deep appreciation, and that our divisions are, at most, superficial. As Hawken says, “we are vastly interconnected”.