I love watching the Kardashians. I used to hate-watch it, feeling like I was waiting to see how much is enough. But over time, I’ve developed an attachment. I like to fantasize about how much good each of the Kardashians could do by using their culture and influence to drive sustainable action. Imagine how much could be achieved through a single Instagram post. If someone like Kim Kardashian—whose every move sets trends globally—were to say something like, “This Saturday, let’s all go outside and plant a native tree,” you’d suddenly see millions of people participating. If we could normalize sustainability through culture and influence, rather than just through scary reports or guilt trips, I would love to see real change. Change that comes not from lecturing people but by making sustainability attractive, social, and easy.

There is a shift happening, of course. But we all know it’s not enough and cannot keep up with the pace of self-distraction. There are high-profile celebrities who advocate for sustainability. But to be honest, if you have a strong opinion, you’ve likely already won all your important awards and can do whatever you want. However, if you are a rising teenage superstar, your voice and every move are carefully curated and focused on profit. If the sustainability angle compromises profits, then it is often discarded. We can’t change the minds of the pop culture industry dinosaurs, but we can preach to our children. We can make hiking cool. We can have a dance party with little friends in the middle of the forest. We can organize a fungus photography contest or go insect watching. Anything! (Yes, I’m a nerd here.) And let’s be present. The true connection between humans is incredibly valuable; it makes you not want to buy anything. And maybe I’ll live to see the day when Kimy K. gets us all planting trees.