In this 2010 Wallace Stegner Symposium Closing Keynote Lecture, Ward seeks to convey the importance of living sustainably and that "after years of driving economies, we must learn to dance with ecosystems."

Warnings regarding our unsustainable lifestyles have become so commonplace that eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the topic. Chip Ward aims to change that. Seeking to convey the importance of living sustainably, he reframes the discourse to point out the consequences we face and the choices we are making. Ward says we must recognise that we are bounded by the limits of a finite natural realm, that after years of driving economies, we must learn to dance with ecosystems