Mailbag: From Sweden to India, Jane Answers Hopecaster Messages About Protecting the Natural World and How We Can Each Make a Difference

In this bonus episode of the Jane Goodall Hopecast, Dr. Goodall is joined by Emma Lewisham, the co-founder and CEO of her own circular, climate positive and transparent beauty line. Emma believes strongly in responsible sourcing and sustainable packaging and has a zero-tolerance policy for animal testing. In this episode, Emma shares her unique insider perspective on the important changes beginning to occur in the beauty industry and how her brand is leading the charge in regenerative business. She emphasizes that companies must be transparent about how people, other animals, and the planet are treated within their supply chain. Together, she and Jane discuss the transformative power of consumers that are pushing businesses and governments towards innovations that will create the kind of standards of sustainability and ethics we all deserve. Ultimately Emma reminds us that “you can be both commercially viable and a business with purpose” because that is what consumers are looking for today.

In this mailbag episode of the Hopecast, Dr. Goodall is joined by Guy Kawasaki, author, speaker, entrepreneur, chief evangelist of Canva, and the creator of Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People podcast, as they hear from Hopecasters from around the world. Together, they listen to uplifting messages from people of all ages, careers, and backgrounds that are determined to make a positive impact on the world. Reilly, an undergraduate student at Arizona State University, is working hard to make a meaningful impact through her studies and volunteering. She asks Jane how she can make her big ideas and goals more manageable. A young girl from the UK tells Jane that she is learning to recycle and protect the trees because she really wants to make the world a better place. Verena, a 49-year-old from Germany, shares her inspiring journey of committing to a career change, going back to school, and getting her first job at a research institute to promote organic agriculture. Verena encourages people, no matter their age, to be like Jane, “stay hopeful and curious and to follow their hearts... and to find out how they would like to contribute with the change that our planet needs.”

In this episode of the Hopecast, Dr. Jane Goodall speaks with Jenna Johnson, Head of Patagonia Inc. Through her work at Patagonia, Jenna brings environmental stewardship to the company’s technical innovation. She is also an avid rock climbing and trail sports enthusiast. In this conversation, Jenna recounts how her early experiences rock climbing fostered a connection to nature that has served her throughout her life and career. Her passion for environmentalism closely aligns with Patagonia’s mission to integrate creating clothing and gear to help all people get outdoors and connect with nature, while investing in active work to protect ecosystems. Jane and Jenna discuss Patagonia’s sustainability initiatives and the work they do to support and center marginalized communities to lead on core social and environmental issues. Jane shares that she is inspired by the amount of companies that are realizing the importance of creating supply chains, practices, and frameworks that reduce negative impacts, while also advancing positive initiatives at various scales. Jenna reminds us that working to heal our relationship with the planet is not only imperative but it can also be beneficial for all - including the bottom line. She reflects that “customers are voting with their dollars today and they’re increasingly expecting companies to really contribute to problem solving for some of these greatest challenges that are ahead of us.”

This episode of the Hopecast features a conversation between two “one and only” icons: Dr. Jane Goodall and celebrated author, inventor, and environmentalist Margaret Atwood brought together through an interview for Harper’s Bazaar’s March issue and for Women’s History Month. Margaret has written over 50 books of various genres including The Handmaid’s Tale, a renowned dystopian novel that has been adapted into a film and award-winning TV series. She is also a dedicated climate activist and uses her platform to raise environmental awareness, which is where Jane and Margaret find tremendous joint purpose. In this episode, Margaret shares her personal stories about her upbringing, how our childhoods shape us, and the importance of legacy - building one’s own legacy, building upon the legacy of others, and the legacy we create in community. Listen in as Margaret and Jane walk the tightrope between utopian hope and dystopian doom, the challenges facing women worldwide, and the interrelated urgent need to balance environmental and social action.

This special bonus episode of the Jane Goodall Hopecast premiered at On Air Fest 2022. Join Dr. Goodall as she speaks with author, botanist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer. Dr. Kimmerer is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and the founder of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, at The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. In this thoughtful conversation, Jane and Robin consider how much more there is to not only learn about plants, but to learn from them as well. They each share the ways their mothers encouraged their love of nature and their journeys through academia. They express their appreciation for science and the value of viewing the world through an analytical lens, but emphasize the totality of the “ways of knowing,” including millenia of wisdom shared from indigenous cultures. Robin reflects on how she merges her Indigenous knowledge and scientific curiosity to create a more holistic viewpoint. Jane recalls how her own imagination was sparked through stories and a desire to observe, which enabled her to push traditional scientific boundaries. The pair also focus on the urgent need to encourage a reconnection with the natural world through stories, in order to prevent the ills facing our world. As Robin succinctly puts it, “in my own evolution I have gone from scientist to storyteller because it feels like that’s what we need right now.”