I think there’s so much we need to relearn when we talk about sustainability. One of the biggest things is remembering that community matters—that people aren’t here to come for you or attack you. People are here to support you. We’re social beings. We thrive in communities, in teamwork, in building things together.

Another important point is that everyone has an impact—but the real question is, what kind of impact do you want to have? Do you want it to be positive or negative?

And we also need to get more comfortable with discomfort. I think a lot of young people today feel uneasy about things like picking up the phone or talking to someone face-to-face. I get it—I'm a private person too. I love staying home. But I also know that you can’t grow unless you step outside your comfort zone. You have to connect. You have to ask for help. Because no one can do this alone.

Whether it's mental health, business, economics—whatever it is—you need people.

Yeah, and I think that’s such an important reminder, especially now. A lot of conversations around mental health or self-love can end up sounding like, “I have to do this on my own.” Like everything becomes so individualized—but really, it’s about finding strength through connection.

Yes, I think some traits—like caring for others, or for the environment—are things people are naturally born with. But I also believe they can be taught.

One of the most important things we need to start teaching is that sustainability is everywhere. It’s not just a subject you teach once in isolation. It should be part of how we teach math, history, science—everything. Sustainability is such a broad concept, and it touches on so many areas of life, so we need to treat it as a cross-sector theme.

We also need to start this education early. For example, ask young kids: Where does your food come from? That simple question opens the door to understanding health, energy, nourishment, and how our choices connect to the planet.

And the same goes for animals and insects. We need to teach respect for all living beings. You can't just go around killing bugs and saying, “Ugh, I’m scared of them.” I’m actually a huge fan of bugs—I love seeing them crawl around! But I see people freak out over a tiny ant or a little bee, and I think, if only you knew the role these creatures play in supporting life. Bees, for instance, are fascinating and essential to humanity.

This kind of disconnection—from food, from nature, from discomfort—is something we've lost. People don’t want to get dirty anymore. But there are so many benefits to playing in the dirt, especially for kids. It’s not just fun; it supports mental health and builds bonds with the community and environment. Some of my strongest memories and friendships came from getting muddy at camp, picking up little snakes, or watching spiders together.

So yes, we need to relearn these things. We need to become more comfortable with discomfort—whether that’s being a little cold or a little hot. Instead of instantly reaching for the air conditioning, we can try to appreciate the seasons, the natural rhythms.

When we reconnect like that—with nature, with people—it brings us joy, and that’s where true thriving begins.

So when we talk about teaching sustainability, we can’t just lump everything under it like it’s a big umbrella. Instead, it needs to be the approach, the methodology, that flows through everything—from food to finance. Sustainability should be the goal we're working toward in every field, not just the label we stick on top. It’s about building a world where all these systems—social, economic, environmental—can actually regenerate and thrive.

Because in the end, sustainability is not just about protecting the planet. It’s about how we care for each other. It’s about health, justice, equity, resilience. And if we can reconnect with those things—from a young age, in every corner of society—we’ll be in a much better place.

We just have to get to sustainability somehow—and there are a lot of different ways to do that. I’m not saying we should write off big corporations entirely. They've done a lot for people. There has been a positive impact—maybe not the one we expected or hoped for, and in the long run, maybe not the most sustainable—but it was an impact nonetheless. People have been able to feed their children, support their families, even if it wasn't with the healthiest food or the most ethical products. Still, they survived.

We have to acknowledge that everyone is trying to make an impact in their own way. I really do believe in the goodness of people. I don’t think most people are intentionally trying to harm others or the planet. I believe that many are genuinely trying to give back to their communities, even if the outcomes haven’t always matched the original intentions. People are making an effort, and that counts.

It’s the same with oil. You can’t just say, “Oil is bad, so let’s cut it out of our lives entirely.” Oil has played a huge role in agriculture, in energy access, in helping families—especially in developing regions—meet basic needs. Yes, we now see the harm it causes and understand there are better paths forward. But that doesn’t mean we should vilify the people or industries that helped us get here.

The same goes for things like monoculture farming. It’s easy to criticize now, but those systems helped us survive and feed entire populations. We’re recognizing now that there are better, more regenerative ways forward—but part of that journey is appreciating the complexity and acknowledging what came before, even as we work to do better.