Consider this: all the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than that of humans. Ants have been incredibly industrious for millions of years. Yet their productiveness nourishes pants, animals, and soil. Human industry has been in full swing for little over a century, yet it has brought about a decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Nature doesn’t have a design problem. People do.
— William McDonough and Michael Braungart, “Cradle to Cradle”
The sustainability narrative should be less related to nature, and more to humanity. We’re not saving the planet; we’re saving ourselves.