Jane Goodall is an official hero of the Bentari Project. We support her global work to conserve species and their habitats.[1] Jane’s superhuman efforts have gained momentum for decades. For the last many years, her efforts include the critical work to stop climate change. Unofficially, we believe that Jane has the softest spoken voice in the world, and yet she still reaches a vast and multiplying audience of millions due to her relentless and energetic perseverance. Here are a few of her clear, softly-stated words as shared with Amy Goodman on “Democracy Now!”[2]

AMY GOODMAN: Why is it important to save the rainforest?

JANE GOODALL: Because they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. And as we cut them down and burn them, that CO2 is released back from the trees, the leaves and also from the forest soils. And about 50 percent of our tropical rainforests have already gone. They’re going at a tremendously fast rate. And even when they are protected in many countries, because of corruption, the power of the corporations, the worship of money and profit, the protection isn’t always saving the forest.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about why you’re a vegetarian?

JANE GOODALL: I’m a vegetarian because I respect animals. I know they’re all individuals. And I wouldn’t eat a cow any more than I would eat my dog. That’s the truth. And pigs are more intelligent than many dogs. But, in addition, [there’s] the impact on the environment from this intensive, intensifying eating of meat. It’s also true that being a vegetarian is healthier. And in order to feed the billions and billions of cows and pigs and chickens, even if you don’t care about the cruelty, even if you refuse to admit that these are individuals with feelings, who feel pain and have emotions, even if you don’t admit that, you have to admit huge areas of forest are cut down to grow grain to feed them. Intensive cattle grazing is turning forests to scrubland. And food in one end, gas out both ends, that’s methane. And that’s an even more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. It’s about 36 percent of all methane emissions come from this intensive farming.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re talking about the planet. How can one person make a difference?

JANE GOODALL: Everybody every day does make a difference. And if we think about the consequences of the choices we make—what we buy, what we eat, what we wear—and we start making the right ethical choices, then when that’s multiplied a thousand, a million, several billion times, we see the world moving towards change. So the most important thing is to give people hope. I have seen areas that have been destroyed that have come back to be beautiful again and support life. Nature is resilient. Animal species on the brink of extinction can be given another chance.

Image: Jane Goodall by Erik (HASH) Hersman, licensed under the Creative Commons

[1] Support JGI: http://www.janegoodall.org/

[2] See Jane on “Democracy Now!” 1/14/16: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/1/14/jane_goodall_on_the_threat_of