“Reimagining the future has never tasted so sweet, like nectar to a bee, honey to a home. No one can do this alone. The promise of restoration lives within us.”

This is the message at the heart of a powerful spoken word poem written by Jordan Sanchez, a 19-year-old Harvard University student, to mark World Environment Day on June 5.

The poem -- “Recreate. Reimagine. Restore!” -- reminds listeners that we must stop plundering and start protecting the planet’s resources. Sanchez, who was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, always ensures her spoken word poetry mixes urgency with hope -- a balance that resonates as the world embarks on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a 10-year drive to halt and reverse the degradation and destruction of our natural world.

“I want people to understand the situation we are in is serious but there is always something we can do, we have to remain positive and we have to act,” said Sanchez, who has been inspired by Amanda Gorman, the American National Youth Poet Laureate who performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

As a Black and Hispanic woman, Sanchez is especially concerned about environmental justice and acutely aware of how people of colour are disproportionately affected by climate change, often because they live in poorer areas.

Feeling inspired? Join the millions of people from #GenerationRestoration marking World Environment Day by registering your own event. Take part by checking out the official schedule here. And learn more here about what we need to do to make this UN Decade count. We all have a role to play in restoring the natural world.