Why 7 Generations?

The 7th Generation Initiative

The 7th Generation Initiative is an educational effort that aims to speed up society's adaption as we rapidly approach planetary limits. Our objectives:

To collect, study, develop and teach; ideas, information, technologies and customs that could be useful in developing human society towards a harmonious relationship with the ecology of the Earth.

Most people now realize that we cannot grow forever on this finite planet.  Those who don't already know this tend to quickly recognize the fact when it is described.

As the realization spreads, our sense of what legitimate action is will change.  Material expansion, previously seen as our primary goal, will increasingly be seen as an offence against the grandchildren.  Responsible people will work to build systems that can be sustained within the Earth's carrying capacity.  With this change of primary value, what people do, as they follow the natural inclination to lead decent lives, will shift.  That shift will unleash creativity on a scale equal to the problems unfolding around us.

The 7th Generation Initiative aims to advance this process in two ways:

* One is by helping people to understanding the issue, so that they become conscious of the challenge that we face and the goal of meeting that challenge.
See: The Challenge and the Goal

Our other educational materials

* Our second aim is to help people recognize that practically all of us support the new goal. That broad support, once clearly identified, is what will change the basic legitimacy that underlies good decision-making.
Change begins with a conversation.

A convenient way to help advance the conversation

Along with producing educational and networking materials, Mike Nickerson, the originator of the initiative, is available for speaking engagements and to facilitate discussions on this issue.

You can help in a number of ways.