Honor Jane Goodall's life by respecting our earth
Dr. Jane Goodall passed away while on an advocacy tour, her Institute has confirmed. Her name alone conjures the image of adventure, breaking glass ceilings, and an unparalleled devotion to saving and sustaining the earth.
“Together we can make a difference; together we will make a difference, and that includes you.”
-Jane Goodall (1934-2025)
OCT 1, 2025 -- Dr. Jane Goodall passed away while on an advocacy tour, her Institute has confirmed. Her name alone conjures the image of adventure, breaking glass ceilings, and an unparalleled devotion to saving and sustaining the earth.
Goodall’s origin story can be read almost anywhere, but I was privileged to hear her own telling at the beginning of WildChina and Roots and Shoot’s workshop for young women back in 2021. The elements that stuck out to me were her self education, an encouraging mother, her ability to work and save money as a waitress, and the mentorship of a paleontologist.
As she traveled more and saw how humans were inflicting damage on their earth and changing the world around them for the worse, she started The Jane Goodall Institute, which includes Roots and Shoots for younger conservationists. With this pandemic, an ongoing climate crisis, the extinction of plants and animals, and social problems all around, Goodall told her online audience that it’s even more important for young women to go out and develop conservation programs in different parts of the world. In case anyone watching was feeling like they don’t have enough to offer, Goodall assured us:
“Every day you live, you make some impact on the planet. You make a choice, as to what you buy and eat and where. Ask yourself if it harmed the environment, if it was cruel to animals, if it’s cheap because of unequal wages paid somewhere. And if those things are true then don’t buy the product. We all can make a difference. And if we all make a difference, then there is hope for our future and the future of our children.”
Goodall's teachings inspired me to start a Beijing Roots & Shoots club in 2021, an idea I've been resurrecting lately. While looking for someone who my kids could look up to, I found a hero of my own.
Give Strange World a chance--to talk about climate change
EDITOR'S NOTE: I watched this movie and wrote the following section before the Disney/ABC boycott. Out Think Media fully supports free speech without government interference, and will address how we're handling media coverage during the boycott as it happens.
I don't know why Disney's 2022 movie Strange World didn't get a lot of love, but it's a fun introduction or continuation for dialogues about climate change. It takes place in a distant, fantastical place -- yet is still very much rooted in our own problems with planet Earth.
The script is peak Pixar; three generations of men struggle with both society's and their own expectations surrounded by powerful (and supportive) women. It also hosts a casual example of queer representation with an adorable teen gay storyline. Besides their well-animated flirtation scene, I was impressed with how young Ethan's sexuality wasn't the storyline; it was just a part of his life.
Strange World is also an effective but casual way to introduce the concept of living in an ecosystem to your kids, especially as our knowledge of the world grows with Ethan. He understands the problem first, and then has to convince the grown-ups to break the cycle of damage to their beautiful, interconnected, and strange world.
Dialogue: Climate Change and What is an Ecosystem?
But what if they ask for more info? Strange World isn't as simple as The Lorax ("Business is business and business must grow!"). The older our kids get, the more questions they'll have. So how to answer?
Start by streamlining the message to one sentence:
Everything we do and everything we consume directly affects our planet's natural balance.
We live in an ecosystem, which means that living things encounter and interact with non-living things like soil, atmosphere, water, heat, and sunlight. Some interactions are necessary for survival & others are excessive. It’s important to know how the products we choose, the baths that we take, and the lights we leave on can affect and change our planet. But individuals can only do so much.
Trash is an easy example. An old friend would say that “there is no ‘away.’” Throwing something ‘away,’ only means that we move it from one part of the world to another, typically out of OUR sight. Show them the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, explain how that comes directly from the trash that the world consumes, and how it changes our oceans.
This trash pile causes animals to get tangled or eat plastic. It stops sunlight from reaching algae which disrupts the food chain even more. Sea plants produce 70% of the oxygen we breathe and can also be ingredients for life-saving medicines.
So when we throw out multiple bags of trash, we are mostly throwing it into the ocean, burying it, or possibly burning it, which causes air pollution.
Fair warning: this dialogue often leads to questions about business, the economy, and ethics.
So honor the great Jane Goodall with these books, or get some garage gear and clean part of your neighborhood. Time to "touch grass," as the kids say.
Read more: Shiloh & Bros: the Antidote to Obnoxious Gamers
Listen: This is your child’s brain on Influencer Marketing w/ Lauren Mazzarese (Out Think Influencers ep 1)
Image credit: Canva, The Jane Goodall Institute, Cindy Marie Jenkins, booksellers