Who We Are & Why We're Doing This

Hi there! I'm Erin Whalen, founder of Our Awesome Future. I'm a veteran copywriter and with a degree in journalism and 23 years of digital storytelling experience under my belt – and my purpose with this platform is to help amplify messages that can provide real hope for the future and accelerate our evolution into a sustainable society where humans and nature co-exist in harmonious equilibrium.

That might sound like an outrageously ambitious goal, especially given everything that's currently happening in the world. But I believe humanity has the capacity to make it happen – AND we have the tools and know-how to make huge strides toward creating that future RIGHT NOW.

But just because it CAN be done, that doesn’t mean it WILL be done.

To create a world that works for all of us, first we have to be able to collectively envision that world.

We have to be able to imagine it and discuss it and PLAN for it if we ever hope to collectively make it a happen.

Yet right now, it seems like the vast majority of news and online conversation around our possible future is focused on what we DON'T want to happen.

Which makes sense!

With climate change and biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse and mass human migration and rising fascism and increased divisiveness between different groups of people who absolutely MUST work together if we're going to try and solve any of these problems, there's a lot to be worried about.

Every day I see countless stories warning us about these dangers and painting dire pictures of what our future will look like if we don't take action to overcome them.

Which, again, makes sense!

We need to be aware of what will befall us if we don't actively work to resolve the pressing problems of our time.

BUT at the same time, we ALSO need to pay attention to the potential solutions that people are exploring at this very moment that could help us stave off those terrifying possibilities and actively create a world we DO want.

And right now it seems that a lot of the news and conversation around these solution-based developments is getting drowned out by all of the other noise online. Or it's being presented in a way that's far too academic or focused on the negative to capture attention and interest and compel people to say, "YES! That's a future I'm excited to work toward!"

(Because – at the risk of ruffling some feathers 😬 – I worry that "degrowth" isn't going to cut it as a successful rallying cry.)

So. As a writer who has spent decades learning how to create online content that captures people's interest and inspires them to take action – and as a mom who wants my kids and their friends and my friends to be able to visualize a better future for themselves and their children – I  decided to create a news and information platform that makes it easier for people to understand and visualize the "better future" that's within our capacity to create.

Hence Our Awesome Future.

My dream is to grow this platform into a useful, engaging, and inspiring information hub for everyone who wants to learn more about the ideas, developments, and solutions that people are working on now and could play a significant role in shaping our world in the years to come.  

If you're an environmentalist looking for hope to counteract the anger and grief over what's currently happening in the world... a parent or educator looking for ways to give young people hope for their future... or a solutions-focused impact-maker looking for a problem to solve... I hope you will become a part of the Our Awesome Future community!

Together we can collectively visualize and work toward creating a future that works for all of us.