An Invincible Woman

A Nurturing Nature
Deirdre Taylor

Jane Goodall's work with chimps transformed the way we view our place in the natural world. Now she's teaching young people to care for the earth.

She's a little frail, this invincible woman who was born in Bournemouth, England in 1934, and she's smaller than I expected. But as she sat there calmly, hands clasped in her lap, I sensed that her diminutive frame was made of titanium. She travels constantly, rarely rests, eats little, and angrily fights off the occasional bouts of malaria that still plague her. When asked the source of her strength, she says with absolute conviction, "There is a purpose to life on earth. I want to do as much as I can, in too little time, to take a message of hope around the world and defeat apathy.

It's so easy to feel defeated when you look at the size of the problems that face the human race, to feel like there is nothing you can do. My message to people now is that every individual can make a difference. The collective influence of groups of individuals is unbelievably powerful. We're proving that every day at our Institute, particularly with our Roots & Shoots program for young people."

Goodall first caught the world's imagination through the pages of National Geographic, as the story of her life among the chimpanzees of the Gombe in Tanzania unfolded -- and changed everything we ever understood about primates, ourselves among them. "The public got caught up in the drama of it all, and people began to realize that we are not separate from animals, but part of the animal world. Chimps are our closest living relatives. [Genetically] there is only one percent difference between chimps and humans. They have personalities, emotions, and intellect. They bridge the gap between humans and the rest of the animal world."

For most people, conducting the longest-running research project of its kind and revolutionizing the field of primate studies would be enough. But for Goodall, this success provided a platform to move onto the international stage in an even more powerful way. In 1971 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute (www.janegoodall.com) to create innovative programs to fight for all the things her work had come to represent.

People seem ready to hear her message. She draws huge audiences everywhere she goes -- 7,200 people came to hear her at the Chautauqua Institution recently -- a phenomenon she attributes to a combination of fascination with what a determined woman accomplished in Africa against all odds and the general fatigue people have with the materialistic life. She finds that her message surprises people. "Humans have an amazing brain and we do have the power to change. Combine that with the resilience of nature, the indomitable human spirit, and the energy and commitment of children and youth to build a better future and you will understand why I truly believe there are reasons for optimism."

One Power, Many Names

As we talked, it became apparent that Jane Goodall's strength and determination are fortified by a deep faith and trust in God. She is among the growing number of scientists who do not see conflict between their science and their faith -- in fact, in her mind they are completely interwoven. She explains: "My mother was convinced there was one God, or one spiritual power, and that the different names people gave this power were just a reflection of their particular culture and what they were taught. We call this power God, but other people would call it Tao or Brahman or something like that. I believe that there is a spark of this Great Spirit power in all these living things. The way that this is expressed will differ according to the state of complexity of the brain. But each creature in its own right has evolved as a special unique being, and we are just one of those special and unique beings. You know there are people who believe that science will answer everything, that every little mystery will be explained. I would be very, very surprised -- not in my lifetime, I don't think in anybody's lifetime. The more science teaches us about this universe, the more amazing it is."

Making Room for Leaps of Faith
Roots & Shoots flourishes in the belief that what's good will grow

"Do you want to make the world a better place?" Jane Goodall asks 1,700 elementary through college students gathered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

"Yes!" comes the resounding reply. It's a scene that is repeated over and over, in cities and towns all across the country and around the world. The children come for one reason: They are all at work, each in his or her own small way, to answer Goodall's challenge. Their Roots & Shoots groups, made up of every size, shape, age, color, and creed imaginable, are based in schools, community centers, colleges, and homes. Not since Baden-Powell started the Boy Scouts in 1908 has an international organization caught the imagination of so many children -- and the respect and support of so many adults. It started in Tanzania in 1991 when Goodall, who had always wanted to work with children, noticed that the local kids were not talking about the environment in school. She held a couple of meetings in her home with a small group of volunteers to see if a program could be put together to fill this gap.

"From the very beginning, with 16 students in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), the focus has been on grassroots community action," says Hans Cole, the deputy director of Roots & Shoots, Jane Goodall Institute, USA. "But grassroots doesn't have to mean small or slow-moving, as our members, leaders, and supporters have proved time and again." Cole says that the program celebrated its tenth anniversary on February 19, 2001 and now includes more than 2,000 groups involving hundreds of thousands of people -- children, parents, teenagers, business people from all over the world -- in 51 countries and all 50 U.S. states.

Asked about the name, and the philosophy behind the program, Dr. Jane (as she is affectionately called) explains, "Roots make a firm foundation. Shoots seem small, but can break through brick walls to reach the light. The brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on the planet. Hundreds and thousands of Roots & Shoots around the world can break through and make the world a better place. Seeds must be able to take hold in any kind of soil, so the children choose their own projects. We want motivated, confident children. And it seems to be working. It's taken on a life of its own."

Part of what makes Roots & Shoots exceptional is its intentional lack of structure. Groups form organically, wherever motivated leaders and groups of kids exist -- which seems to be just about everywhere. The fundamental link between them is that projects must be dedicated to the care and concern for the environment, animals, or the local community -- or any combination. Beyond that, it's up to the kids.

The results have been amazing. Thousands of trees have been planted. Hundreds of organic farms created. Countless pets cared for. Thousands of bags of trash recycled. A handful of high school proms have been held in retirement homes -- and reported as the best ever!

Two youth summits are held annually, one national and one international, where members share ideas, find inspiration, and make alliances.

Although the program is for kids, money and support come from a number of grown-up sources. BellSouth is creating "Taproots 2000" videocasts and e-fieldtrips. Along with Tom's of Maine, they have also sponsored 300 new Roots & Shoots groups in the past year. Stonyfield Farms Planet Protector Yogurt produces EcoAdventure tapes for the organization, and "Chocolate Jon" Endangered Species Candy Bar Company provides chocolates for fund-raisers.

As for Dr. Jane, she regards Roots & Shoots as her legacy. "When I'm gone, Roots & Shoots will continue. Through Roots & Shoots, we're proving every day individuals can make a difference, and that the collective power of groups of individuals is unstoppable. This is why I believe there is reason for hope."

An Activist Worthy of Any Generation

Thirteen-year-old Caitlin Alegre has been active on behalf of conservation causes ever since Goodall visited Alegre's Oakland, California, school in 1994. Alegre became a passionate opponent of animal testing, putting up signs in her neighborhood, asking people to boycott Procter & Gamble products because of that company's animal testing, and making sure her own family used cruelty-free products. She also began a boycott at her school, Northern Light in Oakland, where she and her classmates demonstrated against testing on monkeys. Her extremely active R&S chapter has managed to persuade 90 percent of the student body to use recyclable plastic containers for their lunches. They've planted redwood trees, visited senior citizens, and performed songs and skits with environmental messages. Recently they have undertaken antiviolence activities, and raised hundreds of dollars for JGI, including the "Give a Chimp a Chance" program. Asked in a recent school assignment whether animals have souls, she wrote out of her own eye-opening experience: "There is no question as to whether or not animals have souls. We know they do. What we must sometimes question is whether or not humans have souls."

Building a Website Worth Watching

For the last two years, The Eagle Watch group at St. George's Dayschool has been observing the life and habits of a pair of great American bald eagles (our national bird) from the comfort of their own classroom. The project started during a school field trip to Reelfoot State Park just north of Memphis, Tennessee, where they are located. One of the parents wondered aloud to a ranger what it would take to put a camera in a tree next to some nesting eagles. The ranger thought the idea had promise, and soon cameras were mounted, one to view the nesting site and the other to view a pair of injured captive eagles, Peg and Bly. Next, the students got to work constructing their now-famous Eagle Watch website. They wanted to share their project with the rest of the world, and the Internet was a natural way to get the word out about the birds," says Julene Reed, a teacher at St. George's working with The Eagle Watch club. So far, the project has helped students all over the world learn about bald eagles and has allowed The Eagle Watch club to share their artwork, writing, and other work with students on the web. You can see how the eagles are doing at www.eaglewatch.com.

Learning From Cruelty About Compassion

Revocatus Edward, a student from Tabora, Tanzania, was visiting his grandparents in Kigoma in 1994 when the president of Burundi was assassinated and the Burundian civil war broke out. As the people fled their country, over-crowded refugee camps appeared, and Revocatus caught his first glimpse of man's inhumanity to man. He could not understand how human beings could be so cruel to one another. In 1996, Goodall visited his school and told students a story about a chimpanzee caught in a poacher's snare in Gombe, asking students to imagine how that felt.

As she spoke, Revocatus made the connection between the chimp's suffering and the human suffering he had seen in Kigoma. "I realized then that if you understand something, you can care. I asked myself what action I should take, and I decided to care for all species surrounding me." Thanks to Revocatus, and the efforts of many others like him, Tabora now has 5,000 Roots & Shoots members working on reforestation and education in their communities.

How can you help? Here are some ideas:
Plant Your Own Roots & Shoots

Interested in starting a group? You can get started at www.janegoodall.com. In the meantime, here are some ideas to start kids thinking.

Care and Concern for the Environment

• Start a recycling program.
• Learn about and grow native plants.
• Plant trees or flowers in your schoolyard or neighborhood.
• Pick up trash on your playground or local hiking trails. Help manage trash in your home.
• Build a birdhouse.
• Set up a birdbath outside for the wildlife in your community. Observe and record the birds that visit.
• Take a field trip to a local nature center or zoo to learn more about the animals in your area.

Care and Concern for Animals

• Adopt an abandoned animal.
• Study an endangered animal. Learn why it is endangered and develop a recovery plan to help save it. Share your plan with a local conservation organization.
• Investigate the abandoned pet problem in your area. Work with your local animal shelter to find solutions. Organize a fund-raiser or food drive to benefit a local animal shelter, and develop and distribute responsible pet-care guidelines for pet owners.
• Offer to walk a dog for an elderly or sick neighbor.

Care and Concern for the Local Community

• Volunteer your time at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
• Make gifts or flower arrangements for schools, retirement centers, or nursing homes. Visit them, bringing with you a centerpiece, handmade place mats, or plants for the tables in their rooms or cafeteria.

What Can Adults Do?

Support what's good -- oil companies that use sustainable, ecologically sensitive technologies, for example. Look for companies with best practices and support them. We have to take steps along the way, initiate dialogue toward change. Talk to forestry and oil companies, and let them know what you think. We have huge collective power to make ethical buying decisions. Spend just a little more money and time for the future of our children.
-- Jane Goodall

The results have been amazing. Thousands of trees have been planted. Hundreds of organic farms created. Countless pets cared for. Thousands of bags of trash recycled. A handful of high school proms have been held in retirement homes --and reported as the best ever!