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Apparently, Tarzan Married the Wrong Jane
Lessons from the incomparable Jane Goodall…..
The theme of this year’s Earth Day celebration is “Restore Our Earth,” a hope-filled call to action. But with so much evidence to the contrary, the instigative question still lingers. Can we really save our planet?
Can we stop the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef? Can we purify the smog-filled air of Beijing? Can we prevent our planet’s temperatures from rising, save our forests from disappearing, and protect our watersheds from the thirst of a burgeoning world population?
Truthfully, it’s hard to remain committed in the face of what is often portrayed as a fait accompli. And then, just when the last environmental straw feels like it’s breaking, a whisper emerges from within the cacophony of doom. All is good. Goodall is here.
Jane Goodall, famed primatologist, researcher, and conservationist is best known for her work with the chimpanzees of Tanzania. But these days, having just turned 87, Goodall has left the jungle for the road, raising both funds and awareness for the most important fight of our collective lives.
I count myself among the fortunate souls who have met Ms. Goodall. We crossed paths a few years ago, when she came to the campus of Phillips Andover as part of a speaker series. She spoke in our chapel, the…