One year ago, I attended Half-Earth day at UC Berkeley, rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s most committed naturalists (back in the days when we could actually rub shoulders). I attended the Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassador Institute, and became a Half-Earth Ambassador. I wrote about my day here. It’s hard to believe it has been a year.
Today I registered for Half-Earth Day 2020, a virtual event on October 22, 11am–3:15pm ET / 8am—12:15pm PT. This year you too can attend from wherever you are, and it’s free. I realize many of us, myself included, will be working, and our kids may or may not be tapped in to their classes online. But I encourage you, look at the schedule and see if you can attend even a little of the event. Because I am working from home, I intend to time shift a little so that I can make sure to attend the session Inspiring the Next Naturalist, and in particular, the session on the new graphic adaptation of E.O. Wilson’s memoir, Naturalist. I about jumped out of my chair last year when they showed some draft panels for the book. (You can watch some highlights from last year’s conference here.) Make sure to register if you can and look at the schedule with your kids to see what they might find interesting.
Shortly after registering today I had a lovely moment of serendipity when Dara McAnulty’s Diary of a Young Naturalist arrived on my doorstep. In this very short video from June, 2020, Dara speaks to readers in Australia and New Zealand. And in this video pre-pandemic, Dara opens with this:
What matters to me is that every single person experiences a connection with nature even if that just means walking outside for 10 minutes of their day and listening to the bird song…Biology I think was the most disappointing subject that I have ever experienced. This educational system does need to change as well as all the other systems because if you don’t get this education in properly into my generation, how are they going to have knowledge about the natural world if you are teaching them such a boring course?
It’s a beautiful short piece that gives you a sense of this thoughtful and sensitive young man…I encourage you to watch it and watch it with your family. I am looking forward to reading his diary.
