Individuals or groups can take guardianship responsibility for one piece of the web of life and protect or restore that one piece for this and future generations. Guardians may be individuals, collectives, or entire agencies or institutions, government and nongovernment.  Examples of these web pieces could be as broad as the water or the birds or as specific as a certain pond or a certain type of fish or a sacred place.

A family may choose to assume guardianship for the area immediately around their home. A community may watch over a much larger area. A government or institution may stand guard over all within their jurisdiction.

Guardians who assume this responsibility learn everything they can about their protectorates, assess and monitor the chosen piece of the web of life, restore it when necessary, and report the status of their responsibilities to other guardians or the community.

Guardians may be elected, appointed, or anointed. Many kinds of formal or informal arrangements are possible, but it is the community that grants authority and support to the guardians. (We use "community" in its broadest meaning—a local community or neighborhood, a tribe, a religious group, a profession or interest group, a city, a state, a nation—even the international community.)

• Communities may select certain people to be guardians.
• Communities may recognize and name the guardianship that is already practiced and affirm people in that role.
• Some people may be chosen as guardians by nonhuman communities and will bring this call to the human community for affirmation.
• Institutions may make guardianship a part of their mission, with the acknowledgement of the community.
• Guardians may be designated members of government bodies such as tribal or city councils.
• Guardianship may be established legally with accompanying rights, duties, and powers supported by government.

The duty of guardians is to assure life for future generations. This includes two kinds of duties:

1) preventing harm to future generations;

2) passing on an unimpaired legacy of health and commonwealth to future generations.

Here are some examples of tasks and methods that might be tools for guardians of future generations. Many more are possible, as determined by communities. Some are tasks of an individual. Some are tasks of groups—perhaps a chief guardian with many assistants. Some guardians may do many of these things and some may only do one or two. We list these tasks to stimulate the collective imagination. What is possible if we make guardianship of future generation an important role in a community?

To prevent harm:

• Count the costs to future generations of proposed activities that may (or may not) be beneficial to members of the present generation.
• Propose alternative courses of action that will be the least damaging to future generations.
• Set bonds for activities that may bring future damage, insuring that those who harm the present and the future will pay for that harm.
• Insure that all available knowledge, including traditional and spiritual knowledge as well as scientific information, is considered in decisions that impact future generations.
• Represent the interests of future generations in negotiations with developers, industries, and government agencies.
• Require federal agencies and others to identify and prevent cumulative impacts of harmful activities over time, as well as cumulative impacts of multiple harms in the present.
• Establish "early-warning patrols." Monitor conditions of the community's health and wealth in many sectors—natural, social, spiritual, and cultural—for early signs of harm, disorder, and damage. Insure that the network of the community's life-support systems is sound.
• Promote the health and wellbeing of the young of all species.
• Serve as guardian ad litem for the voiceless, human and nonhuman.

To pass on a legacy of life-supporting health and wealth:

• Lead the community in defining and inventorying its common health and common wealth, including all life-supporting natural and human relationships.
• Instigate a regular audit of the common wealth and health of the community.
• Establish support of the common wealth and health as a role of government.
• Set periodic goals for augmenting and restoring the common wealth and health.
• Insure the passing on of the wisdom of elders and traditional knowledge of all kinds.
• Lead the community in celebrating the web of life-supporting relationships.

--Nancy Myers and Carolyn Raffensperger

September 12, 2007