Just a little note from Casie today about her favorite day of the year 
Earth Day is one of my favorite holidays. It reminds me to check in with my life and what is important. My mom said this weekend, “when you think about how small you are in relation to time and to the universe it really helps you remember what life is about.” I often look up at the trees and try to take a little snapshot of my life and bring everything back into perspective.
This is a picture of me and my hero, Jane Goodall. Not only is she kind and humble, but the incredible accomplishments she has achieved in her life are impressive by anyone’s standards. She travels over 300 days a year sharing her story and inspiring people all over the world to make a difference… and she just celebrated her 79th birthday! She amazes me as a woman, as an entrepreneur, as an activist, and a mother.
Jane traveled to Africa at the age of 26 years old when traveling to Africa was unheard of for young English women. She was brave and adventurous. She had a dream of studying African animals from a very young age. Without money or without experience set out to the ‘dark continent’ as a secretary for a famous anthropologist, Dr. Louis Leaky. He saw the potential and fire inside her and gave her a shot to study the wild chimpanzees.
While trekking through the Tanzanian jungle alone following the chimpanzees, she discovered them using a tool to fish termites out of a termite mound. Back then it was thought that what distinguished man from animal was his use of tools. She sent a telegram to Dr. Leaky who wrote back, “either we have to redefine tool, redefine Man or accept chimpanzees as human.”
With her ground breaking discovery and every day since Dr. Jane Goodall has been fighting for the chimpanzees. She has created a program called Roots and Shoots with children in 120 countries to help clean up the environment, she operates a microcredit loan program to help bring money to women in poverty all over the world and help them become educated to support their families, she has created chimpanzee sanctuaries for orphaned animals, has helped protect millions of acres of forest, and works persistently to stop poachers and the use of chimpanzees in laboratories.
Although sometimes it may feel like she is fighting a losing battle, she has a reason for hope. Just watching her speak in Santa Rosa, having just come from Texas the day before, and going to Washington the day after; she was young and full of life. She told the story as if it were her first time telling it. She talked about how many people around the world are working diligently to make the world a better place and how the young people around the world with their huge hopes and dreams make her feel invigorated and give her a reason to keep going.
I try to do a check in once and a while. Have I been stressing too much about the small stuff? Have I been indoors too much? Have I taken the time to appreciate my life, my family, my surroundings? Usually the answer is no. Let’s all take some time this week to stop making excuses and make a difference. Get outside and take a breath of fresh air. Remember that life is what you make it.
Here are a few things you can do for Earth Day:
- Try vegetarian or vegan for a week (here is more info)
- Recycle, Reuse, Compost – get creative!
- Make a donation to your favorite Earth friendly charity (donate to JGI by clicking here!)
- Ride your bike instead of driving, carpool, run errands all on the same day.
- Take a stand. Start your own campaign through a school or your community to help clean up!
I think Jane Goodall is a Kaia Girl at heart…
“If you really want something, and really work hard, and take advantage of opportunities, and never give up, you will find a way.” Dr. Jane Goodall
Happy Earth Day!
