Speaker 1 (00:04):
We are all connected, all our voices matter, and it will take all of our bold talents and strengths to create a healthier planet.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Our mother, our one and only.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I aspire to change the world too.
Speaker 4 (00:15):
Because the hope she gave me.
Speaker 5 (00:17):
There are [inaudible 00:00:19].
Speaker 6 (00:18):
She devoted her life to us.
Speaker 7 (00:19):
Together to save her life.
Speaker 8 (00:20):
Together we can together, together we will.
Dr. Jane Goodall (00:27):
What is your greatest reason for hope? I’m Jane Goodall, and this is the Hopecast. Welcome to another session of mailbag submissions, I am really happy that I’ll be joined by my wonderful friend, Guy.
Guy Kawasaki (00:47):
All right, Jane. Thank you. It is an honor and a privilege to be your mailbag Hopecast evangelist. The first question is from Meshaka K. Moleu out of Tanzania.
Meshaka (01:05):
Hello, Jane Goodall, Hopecast. This is Meshaka from Tanzania, a young man and the member of Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots program in Tanzania. In Tanzania, we have a lot of stories, but in just a second, I can say that we are very impacted by the program whereby we are teaching the local people and the young people how to conserve the environment. We know that they are the leaders of tomorrow and they are fast to learn. That’s why we had [be 00:01:38]connected with them directly from the interior part of the country. We are doing better and will love you from Tanzania. Thank you.
Dr. Jane Goodall (01:48):
Well, Meshaka, thank you for your question. And I suppose you know that Roots & Shoots actually began in Tanzania way back in 1991 and it began with 12 high school students on my veranda in Dar es Salaam. And they came from 8 different schools. Some of them worried about the illegal dynamite fishing, some of them worried about the poaching in the national parks, some of them worried about the cruel treatment of stray dogs.
Dr. Jane Goodall (02:17):
So we got together with their friends and Roots & Shoots was formed. So you can be very proud to be part of Roots & Shoots in the country where it all began. And our very first project was a beach cleanup. And you know back then, Meshaka, volunteerism wasn’t known. Some of these students, they were laughed at by their friends and their parents, “Why are you working for no money?” and now volunteerism is all over the country. So thank you for what you are doing to help make this a better world.
Guy Kawasaki (02:53):
The next one is Juliana Hughes from USA.
Juliana Hughes (03:02):
My name is Juliana Hughes and I’m a 14 year old animal advocate from South Carolina. First, I would like to say thank you for all the hard work that you’ve done. Your huge inspiration to me. My question for you is, how can a 14 year old like me start to get involved in activism for animals in the earth?
Dr. Jane Goodall (03:25):
Well, Juliana, thank you for your question. And I’m so happy that you want to get involved with helping animals because they sure need it. So how can you get involved? Well, maybe you can volunteer to wildlife center. If there’s a problem in your area that you are upset about, talk about it with your friends and try and work out how you could help. Maybe you could write letters about it, maybe you could actually physically roll up your sleeves and help to make a difference, get some friends like you who want to make the world better for people or for animals or for the environment and start your own group and plan what it is you want to do. And you will find a way to help animals, for sure. Thank you.
Guy Kawasaki (04:13):
So Jane, the next question is Eric from Canada. “Hi Jane. I am a 13 year old kid from Canada. Never in a million years have I thought I would be talking to you. I first started listening to your Hopecast on my school bus. Then I started spending more time outside near a duck pond instead of inside on a screen. I can’t thank you enough for encouraging me to have hope for my future. I now spend my time when I come home from school at the duck pond and spend time learning about ducks and their life. Thank you. And my question is how do you change a person’s focused mind on an idea such as climate change is not real to climate change is real?”
Dr. Jane Goodall (04:59):
Okay, Eric. Well, thank you for that question and it’s a problem that many people have. So how do you change their minds? Well, one thing I would advise you not to do, is get aggressive with them. They won’t listen to you. So instead of that, what you’ve got to do, Eric, is to reach into their hearts. And how do you do that? You spend a few moments to find out who they are and then think of a story because it’s stories that reach into the heart.
Dr. Jane Goodall (05:35):
So when I meet somebody like that, I say, “Well, I’ve been around the world. I’ve been lucky. I’ve stood in Greenland and watched ice melting with any of [the 00:05:46]elders who said, “Even in the middle of summer, the ice never used to melt,” but it was late winter when I saw the ice melting. And then by chance, I went straight to Panama and I met people who had to leave their island homes because they were not safe to live in a tide especially when there was a storm because of sea level rise. But try and find stories that illustrate your point. Then hopefully people will begin to think differently. They may not tell you, but afterwards they might decide, “He was right after all.”
Guy Kawasaki (06:24):
The next question is from Riley Hammond of the USA.
Riley Hammond (06:31):
Hello, Dr. Goodall. You have inspired me through every aspect of my life, my education and my career path. What is your advice for someone just beginning her career in the field of conservation? I am earning an undergraduate degree at Arizona State University in Sustainability. I also have been volunteering at a wonderful wildlife rehabilitation center. I want to continue making meaningful impact in the world. How can I make my big ideas possible and manageable? Thank you for everything that you do. I hope to meet you someday and thank you in person for all that you do and are.
Dr. Jane Goodall (07:03):
Well, thank you for everything that you said. And did you know that all the data of my chimpanzees study at Gombe are now stored in Arizona State University and I’ll surely be coming there. So there’s absolutely every possibility that I will get to meet you. So I’ll say this to you. Don’t start thinking big, start thinking small, take small steps, start a small project, see that it works, involve other people, let your idea grow gradually.
Dr. Jane Goodall (07:40):
Don’t try and do everything all at once. Things like plants, they put down little roots and they put up little shoots. They grow big slowly and they get very stable, as they grow, roots anchored in the ground. That’s what you want to do. So while you’re there at Arizona State University, may meet some of the people who’ve studied at Gombe. You can reach out to them, you can find them, you can talk to them. So hang on your dreams.
Guy Kawasaki (08:21):
This next question is from Verena [Blau 00:08:23] of Germany.
Verena Blau (08:29):
Hello, Jane. This is Verena from Germany. I’m 49 years old and a couple of years ago, I quit my job and decided to study again together with all those people that were more than 20 years younger than I am and I Environmental Sciences and Organic Agriculture. And now I just got my first job at a research institute to promote organic agriculture. And I would like to encourage all people that they are already a bit older like me to stay hopeful and curious and to follow their hearts and to find out how they would like to contribute to the change that our planet needs. And well, I would really like to thank you for all that you’ve on. I deeply admire you, Jane. Thank you so much.
Dr. Jane Goodall (09:20):
Well, hello, Verena and thank you for that. First of all, I want to congratulate you on making that decision to change course in your life. Lot of people aren’t brave enough to do that and clearly you headed in your heart to try and make a difference in another way. Now, I hear that you are moving into organic agriculture and that is such an important subject. As you very well know the main problem with so-called conventional agriculture, why do you think we call it conventional? When for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years, people didn’t use all these pesticides and herbicides and GMOs and things so I call it industrial agriculture.
Dr. Jane Goodall (10:07):
And as you know so well, it’s the use of these chemical pesticides and herbicides that is having a devastating effect on biodiversity and killing the very soil on which we all depend. Do you know about the Jane Goodall Institute in Germany, is in Munich? But you can find it online. And I know that they would absolutely love to involve you because of what you are doing, because it ties in so much with the way that the Jane Goodall Institute wants to change the world from so-called conventional industrial agriculture to organic permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and so on. So thank you for that question.
Guy Kawasaki (10:55):
The next question is from Alison of the United States.
Alison (11:02):
Something that gives me a lot of hope are the bills that are being introduced, and the amendments to bills that are being introduced that aim to put a stop to the illegal sale and trade of exotic animals as well as putting a stop to primates specifically being kept as pets here in the State of Florida where there are amendments being introduced to certain bills and just the presence of those bills themselves, gives me hope because it gives me direction. It gives me a direction to move in, to keep on pushing for those changes until primates aren’t being taken from their homes and put into environments where they are not supposed to be. Thank you.
Dr. Jane Goodall (11:56):
Thank you, Alison. And yes, you’re right, those bills mean that other people are thinking like you and that always gives you hope when you feel you are not alone. Of course the Jane Goodall Institute’s been working for years to fight the reselling of primates, monkeys, chimpanzees, rang-tans even for pets or for entertainment and we’re winning, it’s changing. More and more people understand. And you know, often these things happen because people don’t understand.
Dr. Jane Goodall (12:29):
People used [not 00:12:30]to know that when you watch a chimpanzee, they stop doing tricks. They think, “The chimp looks happy. Likes doing that,” but they’ve been taken from their mothers, they’ve often been cruelly trained, they behave like that because if they don’t, they know they’ll get punished, but it’s changing.
Dr. Jane Goodall (12:49):
So by learning about those bills, supporting them when possible, writing letters, getting involved, that’s really important. You’re absolutely right. And the other thing we have to really fight against, is using primates and other animals in medical research, because more and more evidence from more and more scientists shows that using animals is not only cruel, but very often actually delays progress in human medicine. So carry on, support these bills maybe sometime you’ll introduce bill yourself.
Guy Kawasaki (13:29):
Okay, Jane. The next question is from Evi [Sutin. 00:13:32] She’s in the Netherlands and I’m going to read it, “Dear Jane, as many others, I am very concerned about the climate and biodiversity loss. Unfortunately in my direct environment, there’s not much awareness regarding the problem. I often feel like I am alone in this battle. How would you deal with this? Also, I would love to work with animals or in conservation projects, but I don’t have a degree in, for example, biology, Jane, that sounds familiar. You didn’t have a degree either. I could start a new studies. I did study photography and film, but I feel like there is no time to first study and then take action. Do you have any advice for me? Love, Evi.”
Dr. Jane Goodall (14:19):
Well, Evi, first of all, thank you. And I’m really happy that you feel the urgency of taking action because that’s the most important now. So, I don’t know if you know, but the Jane Goodall Institute in the Netherlands, and if you get involved, you’ll meet many, many people who feel like you.
Dr. Jane Goodall (14:41):
And when you’re talking to people about this terrifying loss of biodiversity, try and find stories about things that you know about. I mean, when I talk about it, I talk about the fact that, “In my garden here,” I’m talking from my home where I grew up, “the numbers of bird species have about halved because of the use of garden pesticides and herbicides and road being built up and not only half the bird species have gone on, but more than half the butterflies and when I was a child, if you opened your window in the summer with a light on, in no time, your room would be filled with moths another night insects.
Dr. Jane Goodall (15:23):
Now I get excited. If one moth comes in at night,” through the Jane Goodall Institute or some other NGO, you can start working with conservation groups, you can volunteer or try to get a job with a conservation NGO. There’s an awful lot you can do without a degree. And good luck to you.
Guy Kawasaki (15:46):
Jane, if I may chime in, one of my favorite parts of your story, is that you kind of got a PhD after you did all the work and it’s not like Jane Goodall appeared in Africa with a PhD in biology and then did her study. It was kind of the opposite order, which just shows you that perseverance and grit and passion can accomplish in my humble opinion.
Dr. Jane Goodall (16:12):
Yeah, it’s true Guy. Thank you.
Guy Kawasaki (16:15):
So the next question is from Paul Bergo.
Paul Bergo (16:23):
I wish that people would show more empathy and be able to put their selves in other living things shoes even when they don’t have shoes. And that’s something I try to cultivate every single day as an educator.
Dr. Jane Goodall (16:38):
Well thank you for that, Paul. And I’m sure you are a great educator, because you obviously have a wonderful sense of humor. Put yourself in somebody else’s shoes, even if they don’t have shoes. You’re so right about empathy. When first got to Cambridge University having been with the chimpanzees for over a year, I was told that as a scientist, I could not have empathy with my subjects. I had to be objective and you cannot be objective, if you have empathy. That is absolute rubbish because I’ve got proof of it.
Dr. Jane Goodall (17:16):
I remember one little chimpanzee infant, she was one and a half years old and we named her Little Jane. So it was kind of very special little chimp. And she got wounded somehow and she got a broken arm. You could see the bones sticking out. Her mother was a first time mother and every time she embraced the infant, of course she heard the little arm and the baby screamed even louder.
Dr. Jane Goodall (17:44):
I was watching this, there were tears running down my face. But if you read the notes that I wrote, actually I think I was recording them on a tape recorder, they are absolutely scientific and accurate and objective. So it isn’t true that to be a good scientist, you mustn’t have empathy. What’s so important today is that head and heart work together. Then you can attain your true human potential.
Guy Kawasaki (18:16):
The last question, Jane, is from Lucy Trip who is a mere seven years old. A lot of wisdom come out of the miles of kids. So, Lucy Trip, seven years old from the United Kingdom.
Lucy Trip (18:32):
Hi, I’m Lucy and I really want to make the world a better place. I’m trying to recycle and stop people from cutting down trees.
Dr. Jane Goodall (18:45):
Well, Lucy, you are just my kind of person. And as I said it before in this mailbag, I hope that you know about Roots and Shoots because we’ve got Roots and Shoots groups all over the UK and many of them are planting trees and recycling. And you can learn about the right trees to plant, you want indigenous trees, trees that are good for the animals who live in the area, you can get involved in groups that are protesting the cutting down of trees.
Dr. Jane Goodall (19:18):
You can get involved in the groups that understand how important it is to plant trees in cities, to bring wildlife into the cities, the birds and the insects and the good that trees do because, when you are among trees, you feel better. That’s proof by science, spending time lying down under a tree, holding the trunk. You just feel calm and peaceful. So if you are not part of Roots and Shoots, I hope you will be because you are just the kind of young person that we need. Thank you, Lucy.
Guy Kawasaki (19:56):
Lucy, you heard an action item from Jane Goodall herself. Join Roots and Shoots. Crystal clear, right Jane?
Dr. Jane Goodall (20:06):
Right, right, right. Absolutely. Well, I think we’ve come to the end of our time yet another mailbag. And I want to thank Guy Kawasaki very much for being part of this one. And I just want to tell you that I’ve been on Guy’s podcast twice now and had a great time and I really hope that you listened to it. Of course, especially the one when I’m on. So thank you Guy. And thanks to everyone who’s been listening.
Dr. Jane Goodall (20:44):
Feel hopeful and inspired to act with the Jane Goodall Hopecast by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, 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.
Dr. Jane Goodall (21:09):
Our production partner is FRQNCY Media. Michelle Khouri is our executive producer. Our producers are Enna Garkusha and Alana Helens, our associate producer is Laura Boyman and Matthew Ernest Filler is our editor and sound designer. Our music is composed and performed by Ruth Mendelsohn with additional violin tracks from Angie Shear, sound design and music composition for the conservation chorus is by Matthew Ernest Filler.
