Full Transcript:
EMERGING WILDLIFE CONSERVATION LEADERS
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I dream of seeing a greener and happier planet.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I want people to care more about climate change, because it affects us all.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
There’s wisdom in the lessons, we learned.
Speaker 4 (00:15):
I aspire to change the world too, because of the hope she gave me.
Speaker 5 (00:17):
Our first [crosstalk 00:20:31]
Speaker 6 (00:18):
She, devoted her life to us.
Speaker 7 (00:19):
Together we can save more lives.
Speaker 8 (00:20):
Together we can, together we will.
Jane Goodall (00:20):
What is your greatest reason for hope? I’m Jane Goodall, and this is the Hopecast. Hello, this is Jane Goodall, and I want to welcome everybody to this first Mailbag episode of the second season of our Hopecast. I’ve missed all of you and talking to you all and hearing your views since the end of the last season. But here we go, and our first guest is somebody who’s a very special person. My first grandson of whom I’m extremely proud for all, that he’s doing. And so let me introduce you to Merlin van Lawick.
Merlin van Lawick (01:08):
Hello guys, and hello, gad it is a pleasure to be here. Speaking with you today. I have listened to so many of your Hopecast before, and to be here today with you is truly something special. So we’re getting so many submissions that have come in today, gad from all over the world. And our first one is Jessica Lopez, who’s originally from Columbia, but now lives in Sweden.
Jessica Lopez (01:37):
Hi Jane, this is Jessica. I’m originally from Columbia, but now I live in Sweden. I’m now pursuing my PhD in defending the Amazon Rainforest and the critical expansion of agriculture used for cattle ranching in many of the Amazon in countries, listening to your podcasts has given me more hope to work in what I love to do. But most importantly, I really like the way you communicate the feelings and the emotions that we need to keep connected with nature. Thank you so much for spreading your word. I’ve been following since I was a child, and I’ve been very proud to follow on your steps. Thank you so much, Jane.
Jane Goodall (02:25):
Well Jessica, thank you for that message. I feel so deeply from the depth of my heart. What’s happening in the Amazon and what’s happening to other tropical rainforests around the world, all over the world. They’re being destroyed for agriculture, for Palm Oil and for cattle ranching. So it’s young people like you, who give me the hope young people who will continue to raise their voices against this destruction of the natural world. Young people who can share the message that we are part of the natural world. We depend on it for our very existence. They provide us with clean air, clean water, food, shelter, everything, but what we depend on is healthy ecosystems. So we have to get together around the world and fight to save these amazing, wonderful rainforests.
Merlin van Lawick (03:28):
Isn’t it amazing how young people all over the world right now, are trying to create a difference and how important it is that they take part in it. And believe that they can make a difference and use your voices to create action.
Jane Goodall (03:43):
Yes, it’s what gives me the greatest hope. It’s young people like you and Jessica whose voices are being increasingly heard.
Merlin van Lawick (03:52):
Yeah, and this will take us to a second message coming in from Tina Fam on advice for a young person’s role.
Tina Fam (04:05):
Hi, Dr. Goodall, my name is Tina and I live in Canada. Hope has been with me throughout my educational journey. It has motivated me to achieve my degree and into now every day, I always hope that I can be able to make changes and global impact today is a chance that I hope you can hear from me. And I would like to ask you a suggestion for a young person like me, what can I do? So my action can be like yours, so I can transform our world into a better one than we are now. I would be very, very happy to hear from you. And thank you so much for your time listening to me.
Jane Goodall (04:55):
Tina, thank you very much for your message. It’s so inspiring to know that young people like you really want to make a difference on this planet. And my message to you is that you can make a difference that every day you live, you make some impact on the planet and you get to choose what sort of impact you make. And you can choose what you buy or what your parents buy. Push them to buy products that are made locally, push them to buy products that don’t harm the environment, that aren’t cruel to animals, that aren’t cheap because of forced labor or unfair wages around the world. And if you do this, you can truly make a difference. Get together with your friends, find out about our Roots & Shoots Program so that you can interact with hundreds of thousands of young people around the world who are all taking part in this program, to make the world a better place. Thank you for your question.
Merlin van Lawick (06:01):
Yeah, that was beautiful, gad. Our next one comes in from Indiana by a 12 year old girl, called Olivia Harding.
Olivia Harding (06:14):
Hello Jane. My name is Olivia Harding and I’m from Indiana. I’m such a huge fan and would want to meet you someday. I have a couple of questions to ask. I’m a 12 year old, in a world that needs help. What can I do to help from the important habitats of the chimps and other animals or the waste of plastic and other materials, littering the vast blue waters. You showed me that animals have a voice, that need to be heard. Thank you for your time.
Jane Goodall (06:42):
Well, Olivia, thank you for your questions. Of course, I always tell young people like you look up about our Roots & Shoots Program, it’s in 65 countries. And it will actually tell you how to get it involved in projects to help people, or the environment, or animals, or all three. And every day that you live, you make an impact on the world. And we now know that every animal is sentient, they can feel fear. They can feel terror, they can feel pain. And they have a personality and an individual. So you’re absolutely right, we do need to give them a voice. And voices like yours and the voices of your friends are really, really important to reach the hearts of those in power, who can make decisions to make the world a better place.
Merlin van Lawick (07:38):
Well gad, I really cannot get enough of your advice. And just listening to you throughout the years, I have learned so much and I am so thankful to have had you present to be my teacher, to be the person that I can look up to. Our next one, it is someone who is seeking to go to University in either South Korea or Japan. This is Eugene Chan and about to start university.
Eugene Chan (08:20):
Hello, my name is Eugene Chan. I read your message for high school students in the textbook. I was more interested with your mother’s advice, actually. I’m wondering whether I should go to universities in South Korea or in Japan. And also I’m afraid of a future, that is not sure. But when I find what I want to do, work really hard, take advantage of opportunities and I never give up. Finally, my dream will come true. So I realized I don’t have to be afraid of my future, too much. And I promise I will do my best for everything from now on, thank you.
Jane Goodall (09:11):
Well, that was a very moving comment. And I see that you read the message, my mother gave to me when I wanted to do something. When I was 10 years old, and everybody laughed at me, you’ll never get to Africa. How can you get that far away? It takes a lot of money, you don’t have money and you’re just a girl. So why don’t you dream about something you can achieve? And then she said to me what you just quoted. And if you follow my mother’s advice and if you really know what you want to do and you take advantage of every opportunity. Then indeed, you should find a way and you can always contact the Jane Goodall Institute or the Roots & Shoots Program. And we can help you to make decisions, thank you.
Merlin van Lawick (10:04):
Wonderful, wonderful. Our next one is a writer from Punjab, India, probably in [inaudible 00:10:11]
Speaker 17 (10:15):
Hello, Dr. Jane it’s Pablien called site from Punjab India. So watching you share your experiences and listen to your most heart touching words, you have literally inspired me to a level where I have this immensely passionate love for this earth. I am a writer and I believe that every person has this one little moment in their lives, which impierces them with passion, for taking action for their beliefs. Even after being just a little moment of some time, it leaves an imprint that lasts forever. It gives them this imperium call that says they have the power within themselves. So I want to know what was your little moment of this belief that you got the power, the one that led you here? Thank you so much and I hope to hear from you soon.
Jane Goodall (11:04):
Well thank you, Pablien, and you’re absolutely right. The natural world, the animals, the trees, the plants, the ocean, it’s a wonderful, wonderful place. And it’s sad that we’re destroying so much of it before, we’ve even learned about the amazing creatures and plants that live there. It’s so important that every single one of us does whatever we can to save this planet for the future. And the most important thing is to have hope that you will make a difference, because if we all lose hope, that’s the end. Because if you don’t have hope, then you give up. So I can see that you’re going to be a wonderful member of our Roots & Shoots Program and really make a difference in your life. Thank you.
Merlin van Lawick (11:54):
Isn’t it just amazing how many Roots & Shoots members around the world, gad, are creating a difference right now and just to see them all working together. And inspired in doing things they want to do in ways, they want to do them. So our next submission comes in a Roots & Shoots member, Ricarda Abdahalden.
Speaker 18 (12:22):
I want people to unite and stand up to fight for our wonderful planet. Dr. Jane made me understand that there is hope in all of us and that we can use this hope to make a difference. I became part of Roots & Shoots and by paying attention to my own everyday actions, I tried to make a difference in this world. Earth is an incredibly beautiful and powerful planet and we are a part of it.
Jane Goodall (12:50):
Well, Ricarda, thank you very much. You’ve said it all. I’m really happy that you are part of Roots & Shoots and that you have the message of Roots & Shoots so much in your heart. And I really look forward to meeting you one day, so that we can talk in person. You are just the kind of young person that’s so important because you understand that hope is so important, because without hope we give up. We actually do know how to solve many of the problems we’ve created, together. We can save the world and together we will. We’ve got to have the conviction that we can do it, which we can, but do we have the will? Yes, Roots & Shoots has the will to make the world a better place. Thank you.
Merlin van Lawick (13:42):
Teachers are also a very important part of growing a generation of people that are actually responsible and do want to do the right things to make the right changes happen around them. And our next one comes in from a high school teacher, called Christine Smalley.
Christine Smalley (14:03):
As a high school teacher, I get to work with a lot of teenagers that are really worried and get the scope of these issues. And they understand that they have to be the one’s to make it happen and to make change happen in the world. They’re driven and capable and interesting and innovative. And I hope that they never lose this spark and the drive that they have right now, to become the people that we need them to become and help the world.
Jane Goodall (14:37):
Well thank you, Christine. And I think it really depends on us, on the older generation. Are we going to work to keep that spark alive? Are we going to work to keep the hope alive? It’s really important that young people get enough stories of hope and they can be part of it. I think that’s really important.
Jane Goodall (15:01):
And one little story here was talking to the CEO of a big corporation in Singapore, just last week. And he said, the reason that we’re changing to become carbon neutral and ethical corporation is for three reasons. One, we see the writing on the wall. We see that if we continue to exploit the world’s natural resources, faster than nature can replenish them. That’s the end of our business. Two, consumer pressure that consumers are forcing us to work in more ethical ways to produce the products that we sell. And thirdly, what really tipped me into making change, real change in my corporation was when my little girl of 10. A few years ago came home from school and she said, daddy is what you’re doing, hurting the world. Because people have told me that what you are doing is hurting the world and it’s my world, too. So please daddy, tell me it’s not true. And he said, that got up to my heart. And that was it, we changed so much in the way that we conduct our business.
Merlin van Lawick (16:21):
The power of stories endure so good at sharing good stories, gad, that’s really important to share good stories. So people get inspired and know that there’s more people around, that also care and are doing their part. I think that is a foundation where hope sparks from. Our next person comes in from Queensland, Australia. Here is Jody Salmon.
Jody Salmon (16:58):
My name is Jody Salmon, I’m 40. And I live on the sunshine coast in Queensland, Australia. I believe it’s going to take prolonged radical action to change environmental crises. And it’s going to take all hands on deck to create this change. It all starts with every single one of us working together. My one word role in bettering this planet is, authenticity. The change I wish to see doing away with hierarchical thinking and embracing diversity in thought, this is how we make big changes in the world through, collective united action. Jane inspires me to turn hope into action because she represents the good in the world. She represents the power of the individual of persistence of knowing yourself and for pushing for the change you wish to see in the world. Jane shows that it’s all about seeing challenges and overcoming them. What actions do I take? I’m a citizen scientist, a communicator, and a motivator. I teach people about the simple steps they can all do to make big changes. And I lead by example. One word to describe our planet, sacred.
Jane Goodall (17:55):
Well, thank you. Thank you so much, Jody. You have really explained exactly what I’m all about and everything that you’ve said resonates, because it’s what I talk about all the time. So thank you for sharing that. Thank you for believing in it and thank you for working with young people to make this vision a reality.
Merlin van Lawick (18:22):
So, that wraps up our Mailbag episode, gad. It’s really been a true blessing. Being here with you today gad, on the other side of a microphone, I want you to know that. And I probably told you this many times, but I want the whole worlds to know that my grandmother has really been the foundation in my life and in our family’s life. And she is truly a great person and we are so glad that we can share her with the world. Thank you for having me, grandmother, grandma, little gad. It feels a little weird calling you grandma, but thank you for having me gad.
Jane Goodall (19:00):
Merlin, thank you for your articulate voice. Thank you for making me proud. And I know that you are going to move ahead to an incredible future.
Merlin van Lawick (19:14):
It is with a pleasure gad, I am deeply humbled. Thank you.
Jane Goodall (19:22):
Feel hopeful and inspired to act with the Jane Goodell Hopecast by subscribing on Apple podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and anywhere podcasts are found. I’m your host, Jane Goodall. The Jane Goodall Hopecast is produced by the Jane Goodall Institute. Our production partner is FRQNCY Media. Michelle Khouri is our executive producer, Enna Garkusha is our producer, and Matthew Ernest-Filler is our editor and sound designer. Our music is composed and performed by Ruth Mendelssohn with additional violin tracks from Angie Shear. Sound design and music composition for the Conservation Chorus is by Matthew Ernest-Filler.
