Presentation date: December 3, 2014 At this stage in human history the sustainable management of natural resources has become a critical requirement for a secure future. The absence of sustainable behavior and the resulting global environmental crises are making the urgency of the problem abundantly clear. Widespread scientific illiteracy, cognitive bias, moral ineptitudes and mental habits prevent many people, including political leaders, from acting according to those imperatives. In order to avoid a very bumpy ride for humanity educational efforts must destabilize two guiding myths and replace them with a scientifically informed ethic.