“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” - Robert Swan
Robert Swan is the first person in history to walk to both the North and South Poles. He is currently on a 50-year mission to save Antarctica from the effects of climate change by 2041. By Robert’s life example, he is inspiring people from all over the world to find their role in countering climate change.
This leading by example is precisely the motivation the Goldmans knew was needed to encourage people to get involved in earth care. Robert and Rhoda Goldman believed in the profound effect of individual action and it was this belief that drove them to create the Goldman Environmental Prize.
They founded the Goldman Environmental Prize to promote the celebration of individuals’ accomplishments in healing the earth to act as a source of inspiration so others would believe they could do the same.
This annual award ceremony has been operating since 1990 and recognizes six individuals from the roughly six inhabited continental areas for their grassroots environmental accomplishments. This year’s winners, hailing from Ecuador, Australia, Nigeria, Taiwan, America, and the Netherlands, have deeply moved and inspired our team at NJIN. What we find most impactful is how each of these people have a personal and emotional connection with preserving the health of the earth. These powerful individuals truly highlight for us that by promoting the earth’s health and wellbeing, we promote our own.
Click here to watch a video detailing each winner’s unbelievable story and environmental achievement.
If these stories have moved you as much as they did us, we know a perfect way for you to harness YOUR individual power and innovation to help the earth this summer – join us in our L.E.A.F. education and leadership program! Session 2 deadline is July 10th. Together, we will learn how to harness our personal life story to motivate us to create truly helpful, efficient, and ingenuitive solutions to heal the effects of climate change.
Julie Kucks is a freelance content writer for New Jersey Institute of Nature and Cedar Hill Prep. Her work has also been featured in Fine Living Lancaster. Julie's writing interests include sustainable living practices, permaculture, mental health, and the power of breathwork. She also enjoys piano tuning, singing and songwriting, playing mountain dulcimer, hiking, and carousing with her kittens, Nike & Lionne.