We have become a force of nature Not long ago, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, drought, forest fires, even earthquakes and volcanic explosions were accepted as “natural disasters or “acts of God.” But now, we have joined God, powerful enough to influence these events.

The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing - the bottom line. That is, maximising profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.

All those hours exploring the great outdoors made me more resilient and confident.

Aboriginal people are key because they have a different sense of where we belong and how we interact with nature.

Some argue we should get coal, oil and gas out of the ground as quickly as possible, build more pipelines and make as much money as we can selling it here and abroad. Their priorities are the economy and meeting short-term energy needs so we can live the lives to which we've become accustomed.

A book is like a single tree in a forest, in that it exists in conjunction with and because of a great many others around it.

Change is never easy, and it often creates discord, but when people come together for the good of humanity and the Earth, we can accomplish great things.