Hi there and welcome to e-mail newsletter #15!

This message goes to my 57 subscribers, with a big Thank you for signing up. If you have not yet explored the OneBeautifulPlanet.org Newsletter archive, check it out. I wrote the first issue in June 2023.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki

For every newsletter I feature a person, animal, or plant that inspired or intrigued me. It is a moment of reflection and gratitude toward life on Earth, meant to find lessons and nurture curiosity. Last week I featured the spotted lanternfly and prior weeks included animals like the praying mantis, sharks, the albatross, and luminaries such as the architect Buckminster Fuller and the oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle.

Fidel Castro was there, along with George Bush, John Major and 100 other heads of state, billionaires and rock stars. But the biggest star at this event was a young girl who delivered what would be known as the speech that “silenced the world”.

In researching the history of climate change action, I learned of “yesterday’s Greta Thunberg”, Severn Cullis-Suzuki. Born on November 30, 1979 in Vancouver, Canada, Severn rose to international prominence at the young age of 12 when she delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Since then, she has continued to be an inspiring voice for environmental sustainability and youth empowerment.

The Speech Heard Around the World

The opportunity to address world leaders had come together at the last minute. But the 542-word speech, jammed together with her friends while on a taxi ride to the event, was hailed as “five minutes that silenced the world”, and she was called the “voice of a generation”. Today it has been watched millions of times and is cited as exemplary essay-writing.

In her heartfelt and impassioned speech, she spoke on behalf of the ECO, the Environmental Children's Organization, and delivered a compelling message about the urgent need to protect the environment for future generations. Her eloquence and sincerity resonated with people across the globe and turned her into an instant icon for young environmental activists.

Impact and Legacy

After her memorable speech in Rio, Severn Cullis-Suzuki continued to work to promote environmental awareness and advocate for sustainable practices. Her activism took various forms, including founding the Environmental Youth Alliance, collaborating with other youth activists, and participating in environmental initiatives worldwide. She graduated from Yale University in 2002 with a B.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology, and later pursued a PhD focusing on Indigenous culture and language. In 2021 she took over as the Executive Director of the David Suzuki Foundation, the science-based environmental non-profit organization started by her father in 1990.

Severn's impact on the global environmental movement was significant. Her advocacy and commitment to raising awareness about issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation have inspired young people to become active agents of change. She has shown that age is no barrier to making a difference, and her story has empowered young activists to raise their voices and demand action from world leaders.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki's journey from a 12-year-old speaking at the United Nations to a lifelong environmental activist is a testament to the power of youth and the enduring impact of passionate advocacy. Her work has not only helped raise awareness about environmental issues but has also inspired a new generation of activists to stand up and demand change.

Severn's legacy continues to inspire us to take action, protect our planet, and work towards a more sustainable and just future.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Cullis-Suzuki

• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/11/severn-cullis-suzuki-earth-summit-speech-greta-thunberg

Mindset

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it" — Edith Wharton

In the Works

The past week has been light on the action front, due to rain and a busy work schedule. The one cleanup I did during a walk in my neighborhood Saturday morning took my YTD cleanups to 34, and shows a total of 228 lbs. of litter (103.9 kgs) removed since I started tracking my work in May. Here are screenshots from two out of the three main apps I am using: CSFN, Pirika, and CleanPlanetProject. My detailed review of these apps plus seven others is linked below.

On the knowledge front, I continued my binge in Assaad Razzouk’s podcast dating back to 2019. Assaad is an entrepreneur, clean energy executive, and author based in Singapore, with no-nonsense and entertaining style. I am almost caught up on all 77 episodes to date, and the series has been enlightening and full of rich information. More on that in future posts.

Planning to do a deeper dive in the climate change landscape, I signed up for an online course on Terra.do, a global network of climate professionals, as well as a one-day energy and climate conference in Philadelphia at the end of the month. Also, I turned the Afroz Shah article from last week’s newsletter into a blog post - linked below.

Lastly, as I am slowly growing the website & its audience, I am beginning to think of a revamp of the home page and reorganizing the content, probably in the next few months or so. I already had a technical audit of the website prepared, which highlighted items to fix and that would help with things like search engine optimization. If you have constructive feed-back, please let me know!

If you found this newsletter helpful or interesting, please share with your friends, contacts, and anyone you know who may benefit from following my journey. Let’s gain some knowledge, and take action toward a cleaner, healthier world!

Thank you.

Razvan