Author: Shelby Dye

Dr. Jane travels all around the world sharing important messages to inspire. These messages are all based on the belief that every individual’s actions can make a BIG impact. In April, the Jane Goodall Institute’s (JGI) Roots & Shoots program partnered with Microsoft and Skype in the Classroom to offer two live broadcasts with Dr. Jane Goodall and the JGI team! This was a very special moment, connecting people for the common good – the effects of which are still being felt today… “More and more young people around the world are taking-action now, today, on projects they are truly…

Food insecurity in Camden City, New Jersey, is a problem that effects Rutgers students and the community at large. In 2014, 17.4 million U.S. households were food insecure at some time during the year (DPHP). What this means is that although resources like fast food may be available, health outcomes may be bleak as other nutritious options are scarce if they are available at all. For Amanda Ketterer, this was a challenge she was willing to take on with her Roots & Shoots group, and the results are delicious and nutritious! Now a junior at Rutgers University pursuing a double major in…

Roots & Shoots just turned 28, and after 28 years of providing young people and educators the tools they need to make compassionate decisions for the planet we all share, we’re taking the program to the next level. With generous support from the Fund II Foundation, this year Roots & Shoots is proud to announce incredible partnerships that will increase the program’s reach by nearly 15,000 individuals! The JGI program will now be in even more communities to support even more youth activists, educators, and other change-makers working together to take action for people, other animals and the planet.   How?…

Celebrate Earth Month with a Roots & Shoots Challenge!  Help us celebrate Earth Month this April by taking-action for the planet using 5 R’s! Our 2019 Earth Month Challenge is “Stop the Sea of Plastic.” Before, during and after Earth Day, compassionate citizens everywhere will be challenged to consider their own plastic consumption and understand the implications that plastic use has for people, other animals, and the environment. Then together, we will take-action for the planet we all share.  Sign up to take the challenge!  What Will I Be Asked to Consider During the Challenge?  REFLECT – Examine your own impact.  REDUCE – Survey your space.…

This year, JGI’s Roots & Shoots program partnered with the Fund II Foundation to develop the Fund II Foundation Roots & Shoots National Fellowship Program. This 10-month program is designed to offer young people of color or those working in underserved communities the opportunity to create and implement service learning projects and produce positive impact. This fellowship seeks to enable young people to empower their communities to take action on issues that matter to them. As Dr. Jane always says, “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” Meet Victor A 24-year-old Bronx…

As human population and development continue to rise around chimpanzee habitat, both humans and wildlife suffer. As populations grow without proper land-use plans (how areas of their communities will be designated for things like agriculture, housing, etc.), forests are destroyed and human-wildlife conflict increases dramatically. Clearing forests for the purpose of agricultural use, as well as logging for firewood and other needs, has resulted in not only ecosystem loss, but something known as forest fragments. These fragments are a major threat to wildlife – but what are they and why does it matter? Why are forest fragments harmful? Forest fragments…

This year, the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots program partnered with the Fund II Foundation to develop the Fund II Foundation Roots & Shoots National Fellowship Program. This 10-month program is designed to offer young people of color or those working in underserved communities the opportunity to create and implement service learning projects and produce positive impact.This fellowship seeks to enable young people to empower their communities to take action for issues that matter to them. As Dr. Goodall always says, “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” Meet Susette Susette…

We are constantly flooded with digital content, particularly in the form of news online. This is an exciting time, primarily because so much information can be accessed so easily by so many. Current events are broadcast to mass audiences in real time, and social media allows users to engage with material and with one another regarding issues that matter to them (social media is Jane’s fifth reason for hope!) With this level of access, there is a dark side as well. Rapid digital circulation of news often breeds misinterpretation, inadequately researched or sourced information being shared, and ultimately the circulation…

Forests are so much more than the “lungs of the earth.” The balance of all that allows life to flourish on Earth is dependent upon the function of forests, for more reasons than you may know. Global forests are in fact the mechanism that absorbs much of the excess carbon emissions and releases oxygen into the atmosphere. Deforestation and forest degradation contributes as much as 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions each year–rivaling emissions from transportation globally. The importance of tropical forests because of their size and geography, including their ability to store carbon and thereby slow climate change,…

In order to achieve our vision of a more compassionate world, filled with compassionate citizens making compassionate decisions, we must actively pursue investing in inclusion at every level of our daily lives and work. This has always been the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots model, and it is in fact central to the aim of the program: to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs, and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for people, other animals, and the environment. To that…