Mankind's capacity to consume the earth's resources has overwhelmed nature's capacity to replenish itself, and people are polluting at a rate that nature cannot repair. This road leads inevitably to serious, and potentially fatal consequences. In this article, the author suggests that educators need to go beyond merely enabling students to understand threats to the biosphere, but to encourage them to challenge the status quo so that new sustainable practices and values can emerge in a process he calls "committing to the common good and embracing the long view." (Contains 8 notes.)