Lisa Jackson: Hope Is Investing In Change

10/12/21 • 39 min

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In this episode of the Hopecast, Dr. Jane Goodall is joined by Lisa Jackson, the vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives at Apple. Lisa and Jane’s conversation offers a look at how businesses can, in fact, be innovators and leaders in sustainability, as well as environmental justice and action. Before Lisa became a leader in this space, she was set on becoming a doctor, pivoting after to engineering. Upon better understanding of the impacts of pollution and the degradation of the environment on human health, she combined her interests to apply them in positions as fundamental as head of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Obama Administration. Lisa and Jane discuss how positive environmental impact can be made in any industry, by every individual, and how change happens from people speaking up in their respective companies and locally. Lisa additionally explains how she is working to make Apple’s entire supply chain carbon neutral by 2030, and how though there is a long way to go, that a tremendous amount of progress has been made. Jane, who often reaches across industries to support positive actions like that of Apple, explains why it is critically important that one of the largest corporations in the world is taking positive steps forward, creating ripple effects around the globe. Listen to this inspiring conversation about how both Lisa and Jane turn their hope into action, from the tech world to community-led conservation and beyond.

At the End of the Rainbow: Stay to the end of the episode to hear a clip of Jane speaking about why recycling our cell phones, and reducing our consumption, is important in order to reduce harm to ecosystems, wildlife, and human communities.

Previous Episode

Dan Springer: Hope is Preserving the Earth’s Lungs

In the very special premiere episode of the Hopecast’s second season, Dr. Jane Goodall is joined by Dan Springer, CEO of DocuSign and sustainability thought leader extraordinaire. Dan and Jane’s discussion offers a unique perspective about what big tech companies should do in the fight to make this world a better place through investing in conservation, helping employees get engaged with volunteering, and finding tangible ways to address inequality. Docusign represents these efforts by saving millions of trees and eliminating the use of billions of sheets of paper. Their DocuSign for Forests initiative has also committed over $2.5 million to organizations doing critical work to preserve the world’s forests. During the episode, Dan and Jane discuss the importance of standing together at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and how Jane has often used this approach which reaches across industries and perspectives to make a bigger difference, together. Dan has become a tremendous partner to Jane and JGI, and also even went on to create a Roots & Shoots group, as part of Jane’s youth program Roots & Shoots, at DocuSign thanks to Jane’s “amazing persuasion skills.” Dan and Jane talk about maintaining hope through trying times and the essential increasing levels of recognition and action in the face of injustices. Listen to Dan and Jane’s incredible and illuminating conversation to learn more about the responsibility and opportunity for businesses to take action by connecting the heart and mind to drive positive environmental impact.

BONUS: Check out even more from Dr. Goodall and Dan’s purposeful pairing here.

At the End of the Rainbow: Stay to the end of the episode to hear a clip of Jane speaking about why her philosophy to “think locally, act locally” is so crucial to making the world a better place.

Next Episode

Rhett Butler: Hope is Sharing Knowledge to Empower

In this episode of the Hopecast, Dr. Jane Goodall is joined by Rhett Butler, an award winning journalist and the founder and CEO of Mongabay, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Rhett and Jane’s conversation offers a look at how news outlets can inform the public of the detrimental effects of climate change and environmental destruction while also highlighting the many positive stories of effective action and change. When Rhett was 17, he went to Malaysian Borneo and had a magical encounter with a wild male orangutan in the rainforest, when the orangutan stood within 30 feet of him and paused for a few moments to look at him. Rhett came back home to California and kept in correspondence with the scientists there. Several months later, Rhett found out that that same forest he had that surreal experience in was pulped to make paper, and became an oil palm plantation. This experience, among many others, pushed Rhett to take action to spread awareness. What was once meant to be a book became what is now known as Mongabay. Rhett and Jane discuss how news outlets, journalists, and whistleblowers can hold corporations accountable and encourage individuals, as well as policy action to ultimately protect our one and only home. Rhett shares stories that Mongabay has covered that keep the public informed, center indigenous and local communities, provide success stories, and have even prevented further devastation from occurring. Listen to this hopeful conversation about how sharing knowledge with storytelling can create positive change for humans, wildlife, and the environment.

At the End of the Rainbow: Stay to the end of the episode to hear a clip of Jane speaking about how a different future awaits us, one where rainforests are prioritized and protected, and how we can be a part of creating that future.