In part one of this 2-part series, we hear from Lorne Johnson, one of Canada’s leading consultants serving private foundations. Lorne offers insights on the role forestry managers now play in ensuring the sustainable management of Canada’s largest renewable resource. We then discuss the role of environmental groups and their challenge in engaging the public to address climate change, and why such groups need to offer stronger economic rationale to elicit action. We discuss how humans became soft-wired to spot danger and react accordingly, and how such conditioning is responsible for our ability to respond to adversity. Last, Lorne walks us through the decision making process foundations go through when selecting organizations to fund.