In this episode of the Hopecast, Dr. Jane Goodall is joined by Rhett Butler, an award winning journalist and the founder and CEO of Mongabay, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Rhett and Jane’s conversation offers a look at how news outlets can inform the public of the detrimental effects of climate change and environmental destruction while also highlighting the many positive stories of effective action and change. When Rhett was 17, he went to Malaysian Borneo and had a magical encounter with a wild male orangutan in the rainforest, when the orangutan stood within 30 feet of him and paused for a few moments to look at him. Rhett came back home to California and kept in correspondence with the scientists there. Several months later, Rhett found out that that same forest he had that surreal experience in was pulped to make paper, and became an oil palm plantation. This experience, among many others, pushed Rhett to take action to spread awareness. What was once meant to be a book became what is now known as Mongabay. Rhett and Jane discuss how news outlets, journalists, and whistleblowers can hold corporations accountable and encourage individuals, as well as policy action to ultimately protect our one and only home. Rhett shares stories that Mongabay has covered that keep the public informed, center indigenous and local communities, provide success stories, and have even prevented further devastation from occurring. Listen to this hopeful conversation about how sharing knowledge with storytelling can create positive change for humans, wildlife, and the environment.
At the End of the Rainbow: Stay to the end of the episode to hear a clip of Jane speaking about how a different future awaits us, one where rainforests are prioritized and protected, and how we can be a part of creating that future.
Emma Lewisham: Hope is the Beauty of Circular & Carbon Positive
Mailbag: From Tanzania to Germany, Jane Answers Hopecaster Messages About How Anyone with Passion and Empathy Can Make a Difference
Jenna Johnson: Hope is Companies Leading Solutions and Lifting Up Voices for Change
Margaret Atwood: Hope is The Legacy We Build Together for a Better World
Robin Wall Kimmerer: Hope is the Power of Plants and Indigenous Knowledge
Adam McKay: Hope Is Found In Climate Action and the Community Created by Laughter
Mailbag: From Colombia to the UK, Jane Answers Hopecaster Messages About Solving Big Problems by Starting with a Small Change
U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ): Hope is Expanding Empathy and the Moral Imagination
Paul Polman: Hope is Putting the Heart Back in Companies for Net Positive Change
Dr. Lilian Pintea: Hope Is Unlocking the Potential of Science, Tech, & Tools to Create a Brighter Future for People, Animals, & the Planet
Mailbag: From Philadelphia to New Zealand, Jane Answers Hopecaster Messages About How They Can Use Their Voices to Create a Better Future
Alice Macharia: Hope Is Communities Leading Conservation for the Good of All
Dr. Evan Antin: Hope is Following Your Heart and Giving Back to Animals
Christiana Figueres: Hope Is Changing Systems and Protecting Our Connection to Nature
Mailbag: From Sweden to India, Jane Answers Hopecaster Messages About Protecting the Natural World and How We Can Each Make a Difference
Lisa Jackson: Hope Is Investing In Change
Dan Springer: Hope is Preserving the Earth’s Lungs
Season 2 of The Hopecast is Coming Soon
Mailbag: From Japan to Tanzania, Jane Listens to Hopecaster Messages of Unity and Action for the Future
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