It seems the human ego knows no bounds. We take the world for granted, claiming it was made for us and is to be used at our disposal. This is the story we tell of the purpose of the earth. The earth, however, is telling us a different story. Where humans take, nature gives – but nature has its limits. Whether we like it or not, our very existence depends on the natural world. If we damage nature, we ultimately damage ourselves.

As an article in Co.Create so aptly points out, “All the talk of “saving the planet” overlooks one thing – the planet, as abused as it’s been, will be fine in the long run. It’s humans who need saving.”

Conservation International has launched an incredible new campaign called, Nature is Speaking, that brings this fact to the forefront. Nature does not need humans – we need nature. In this series of rather humbling videos, celebrities such as Harrison Ford, Penelope Cruz, Robert Redford, and Julia Roberts inhabit the voice of nature and tell us what we humans really need to hear: we are the ones who need saving, not nature. The world is not ours for the taking; it belongs to nature and in the end, our existence is of very little importance to the natural world.

The message may seem harsh, but it is a stark reality check we could all stand to cash. The free-ride is over people; if you want to continue living on this planet, you’re going to need to show your mother some respect …

Check out the rest of the videos in the series and take a second to rethink the way you think about nature.

Harrison Ford is the Ocean

Robert Redford is the Rainforest

Penelope Cruz is the Water

Edward Norton is the Soil