For World Animal Day, we celebrate our kinship with and the diversity, beauty and threats to animals large and small. In a recent podcast conversation with Philip Lymbery of Compassion in World Farming, Jane was able to recount the major revelations of her life, her love and compassion for other animals, as well as her and JGI’s commitment to improving animal welfare and current issues with factory farming. Jane and Philip discussed her decision to stop eating meat and the need for UN action on food and farming. The importance of looking at the big picture while acting locally is…
Author: Ashley Sullivan
Ashley Sullivan
Ashley Sullivan is the Director of Storytelling & Marketing for Communications & Partnerships at the Jane Goodall Institute USA, where she works to connect individuals with Dr. Jane Goodall's vision, and the JGI mission to create a better world for all by protecting the interconnections between people, other animals, and the environment. Ashley graduated Stony Brook University with a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and a minor in Biology, and is pursuing a Master's of Science in Environmental Science & Policy at Johns Hopkins University with a focus on Environmental Justice. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, now a D.C. resident, she has a varied background including 10+ years of expert communications and digital marketing in the social and environmental non-profit sector. Her intersectional approach to this work has been shaped by a holistic world-view, having traveled to Madagascar and Ecuador for conservation research projects, leading communications for youth social justice filmmaking organizations, and as a part of several professional groups advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in environmental spaces including Greens REALIGN. With skills ranging from conservation fieldwork, policy and advocacy campaigns, strategic communications, art, digital media, and design, Ashley believes in sharing information to empower and in the magic of storytelling to transform hearts and minds. Through growing understanding, empathy, and justice, she is igniting positive change to create that better, more equitable world, every day.
Nearly exactly one year ago, the Jane Goodall Institute was preparing for one of the biggest Roots & Shoots Celebrations of Service EVER! The event, which took place in Crissy Field in San Francisco, gathered hundreds of young people from all over the bay area showcasing the outstanding work of Roots & Shoots youth, local organizations, innovations, and community around being compassionate leaders in every day life. As we reflect back on all that was shared and created for the day, we’re happy to introduce Saskia Fisher, a Roots & Shoots youth who shined at the celebration and continues to…
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Basecamp 1960s: The sky is inky fabric dotted with stars. The moon is full tonight and reveals a cross stitching of marching ants on the ground. A yellow light flickers from inside the weather-worn tent, and the bugs play offbeat alongside the typing of a typewriter. You’ve entered the world of young Jane Goodall. But how could this feel so real? It’s the most immersive Jane Goodall exploration yet, and it’s available today for free through Oculus’ Breaking Boundaries in Science virtual reality experience! The newest addition to Oculus Go and Gear VR, Breaking Boundaries in Science is a compelling look at the groundbreaking scientific contributions of three…
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Atop what would become known as Jane’s Peak in Gombe, Tanzania, young Jane Goodall could grow her understanding of the mysterious wild chimpanzees that eluded her. Through her binoculars, she could follow their habits and movements before they allowed her to enter their world. Down in the valley with the chimpanzees, Jane came to discover a great deal about these incredible creatures, and so much more. In the forest, she came to understand that everything is connected, and that every day we live we have the choice to make a difference. Right now, you can show your commitment to making…
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Willy is an extraordinary member of our staff. He really, really, really understands chimpanzees.- Dr. Jane Goodall For many people, their work day may start by checking emails or saying hello to colleagues – but for Willy, it would start by greeting and feeding the eager, happy faces of the rescued chimpanzees in JGI’s Tchimpounga sanctuary. Before starting at Tchimpounga as a caretaker, Willy was a fisherman. He would say his work with JGI gave him a “new perspective” on the fantastic qualities and abundance of nature all around him, and the importance of conserving the natural heritage of his country, in the Republic of Congo. Though every one of…
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Roots & Shoots is a program for young people to help all living things and to take action to make the world a better place. Dr. Jane Goodall started Roots & Shoots as a program of the Jane Goodall Institute in 1991, when a group of young people in Tanzania expressed feeling frustrated by the problems facing the world and wanted to do something about it. Because she believes that young people can have a huge positive impact on our planet, Roots & Shoots was born, and now exists in nearly 100 countries all over the globe! The Roots & Shoots website…
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In equatorial Africa, chimpanzees once roamed freely in the millions and the sound of pant-hoots echoed through the forests. But as human populations grew, as did the demand for illegal bushmeat, and the fascination with keeping chimpanzees as illegal pets. As an endangered species, their numbers now are only close to 300,000. To work holistically to both prevent those threats and take in those injured and orphaned chimpanzees harmed by these illegal activities, JGI set up the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo. As positive growth happens to end these threats, so still exists (though less so)…
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After years of planning and wishing, today we finally announce the creation of the FIRST EVER World Chimpanzee Day to be celebrated on this July 14th, 2018! The Jane Goodall Institute global network of chapters and Roots & Shoots Offices celebrates World Chimpanzee Day, along with many other NGOs and individuals around the globe, in honor of the day in 1960 when our founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, first stepped foot in what is now Gombe Stream National Park to study wild chimpanzees. The day will be a celebration of our closest living relatives and all we know and continue to learn…
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The idea that water is fundamental to life appears in some form in every culture throughout history, and for good reason. In the Albertine Rift region of central Africa, rivers and streams support vital chimpanzee and other species habitat who depend on the forest corridor supported by those waterways. This landscape is also home to a growing human population that relies on these natural resources, kept thriving by these waters, for income and sustenance. In Uganda, the Jane Goodall Institute not only believes water is life, we act on it. Thanks to funds secured in 2015, we’ve been conserving regional forests and waterways through sustainable resource management and livelihoods, making sure these waterways are viable for many generations to come. The Problem…
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Dr. Jane Goodall’s study of the lives of wild chimpanzees proved that there is no sharp division between humans and the other species with whom we share this Earth. As a 26 year-old, Dr. Goodall went into the forests of Tanzania with a notebook, used binoculars and a passion for learning about animals. After months of hard work and frustration, came a moment of clarity when Jane connected with David Greybeard, the chimpanzee who would become one of her most important teachers. David Greybeard was the first wild chimpanzee to allow Jane Goodall to come close as she offered him a…
