Author: Sarah Ruiz

Hilda Tresz is a true chimp champion. As the Behavioral Enrichment and International Welfare Coordinator at the Phoenix Zoo, she has been responsible for transforming the lives of over 85 captive chimpanzees. Hilda is responsible for overseeing the Zoo’s behavioral management programs and has served as a mentor and researcher. She has dedicated her career to ensuring that captive primates as well as hundreds of other species of animals have the proper behavioral enrichment to keep them happy, healthy and curious in their environments. In 2007, Hilda graced the Jane Goodall Institute with her expertise and became a volunteer; using…

For composer and musician Wolfgang Netzer, music is an ancient part of the human experience – one which has the power to tell wonderful stories. Jane Goodall recently had the chance to collaborate with Wolfgang to further share her own story through music. Wolfgang previously worked with Jane as a composer for the score of the 2010 documentary, Jane’s Journey. Now, Jane and Wolfgang have combined their talents to create an album of music that tell the very powerful story of hope for our planet. The album, originally a series of live performances also features clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi. “…We three…

Would you pay $100 for a cup of coffee? The price alone might be enough to turn people off, but for some, the most expensive coffee in the world holds an exotic allure. It’s called Kopi Luwak, and its origins might surprise you. Also known as civet coffee, this brew is made from the partially digested coffee cherries found in the droppings of the Asian palm civet — a ridiculously charming and small cat-like creature native to South and Southeast Asia. The image that most people have of this exotic coffee brand (which Kopi Luwak sellers themselves promote), is one…

If a tree is planted in a forest, does it make a difference? Maybe not, but when 49.3 million trees are planted at once, things begin to change. Earlier this July, 800,000 volunteers from Uttar Pradesh, India, gathered to plant almost 80 different species of tree saplings in just 24 hours. At the end of the day, the nearly 50 million trees had been planted, a number almost 2,000 times the amount of trees in Central Park. The saplings, raised in local nurseries, are now stretching out their roots across India’s public lands, and unfurling new leaves along her roads…

What kind of world would you like to see in 2030? One without poverty? Or pollution? Or maybe one where everyone has access to a quality education? In September of 2015, the United Nations decided what world they wanted to see, and crafted a bold set of 17 goals to help us achieve that vision. These Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) tackled some of humanity’s most difficult problems, from climate change to inequality. Now, a year after their inception, the UN has released its inaugural review of the SDGs. Essentially the planet’s annual report card, the UN report on “Progress towards…

Dr. Goodall’s story began when she was just a kid. Inspired by the books she read, and driven by her curiosity and determination, Jane was able to achieve her dream of studying animals in Africa. Jane believes that positive change begins with kids. They represent the future of our world, so inspiring them to make a difference in the world is incredibly important. Recognizing the power of youth, Jane has worked to grow compassionate leaders and change-makers through her Roots & Shoots program, which provides kids guidance and resources for designing and implementing their own service projects. By giving them…

The internet is an endless portal into thousands of cute wildlife videos – but what do these videos show and tell us about the animals they depict, and the reality of their lives? How does the way media represent these animals, particularly chimpanzees and other apes, impact their well being and efforts to save them in the wild? A recent video has hit the internet showing two captive chimpanzees, Vali and Sugriva, taken on an outing to see the newly released Tarzan movie. The chimps were led into the theater by hand and on leashes, given popcorn and apple juice,…

Two universes collided this past week as Nintendo released its newest addition to their line of Pokemon games: Pokemon Go. The new game uses augmented reality (AR) to bring the world of Pokemon to life quite literally in players’ backyards. Players use their smartphones to search for any Pokemon that might be near them. The app taps into the phone’s GPS location and camera to show the Pokemon moving around in the real world. Of course, like the many Pokemon games before this one, the goal is to “catch ‘em all.” As players explore their world, they capture new pokemon,…

Three Roots & Shoots Essentials Every day, around the world, young people are making a difference in their communities through their participation in Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots. Through their creative and inspired projects Roots & Shoots members tackle problems facing people, animals and environment. Each group project is unique to their own community, but there are a few things that all successful groups have in common. Here are three essentials for completing an impactful Roots & Shoots project! An Idea It all starts with an idea. Many successful Roots & Shoots projects were started because attentive young people saw…

Chris White teaches third graders at Elm Street School in Rome, Georgia. Recently, she and her students completed a Roots & Shoots project that combines kindness with recycling. Chris shares how her students collaborated with their community to make this project a success. Coming Up with an Idea Every year, third graders at her school complete a unit on resources and recycling. The idea for this project came from the research that her students performed during their unit. “One of our partners, Anita Sealock has done a great job each year making artwork out of recycled items,” Chris said. “This…