Will Young People Vote?

Virtually anything we might want: money out of politics, affordable healthcare, quality education, social programs, women’s reproductive rights, environmental stewardship, peace agreements held intact, etc.–are all within our reach. The only question is how loudly we make our voices heard…and that starts at the ballot box.

Question: Look closely at the pic here (larger one below). Why do these Pennsylvania-based employees of Shell Oil look so somber, considering that the U.S. President is wearing a smile?
At left we have a beautiful but grim reminder: What have we become?
A reader submits:
The only good thing one can say about the ever-growing world of gadgetry is that some of these contraptions run on solar energy, adding a dimension of cool to a universe of thingamajigs that would otherwise be fairly uninteresting.
The other day I had the good fortune to run into
Even without the greed depicted in this wonderful illustration, it’s questionable whether humankind can arrive at some sort of equilibrium with nature. We believe that, if we wanted to, we could consume resources sustainably here and now, in such a way that future generations are able to meet their needs. 
One of the chapters of my most recent book, “