Jane Goodall Recognition
Jane Goodall award ceremony, with Native America peace blanket presentation, the Wallace Stegner Center, University of Utah 10/4/2019 (credit: SWP Media)
Dr. Jane Goodall was presented with a Peace With Nature award by the Wallace Stegner Center at the University of Utah, The Nature Conservancy, and PAX Natura. It recognized the famous primatologist for her pioneering work on chimpanzees and for her tireless work building worldwide support for wildlife conservation including her Roots & Shoots initiative for young people.
Established in 1991 with 12 students in a single classroom in Tanzania, Roots & shoots has grown to now have chapters in nearly 100 nations. The goal is straightforward and the student-run projects are as diverse as the countries where they are located. A project coordinator, usually a teacher, receives generic information to help develop a project, often for a local environmental issue, but the goals are the same:
to empower young people to use their voices and actions to make compassionate decisions, provide influence, and make positive change in their community.
The aptly named award was given in a LEED certified building where the Stegner center is located. Every architectural design, engineering construction, and creative details were incorporated for long-term energy efficiency and sustainability. One example, the windows throughout the new building contain an invisible biomimicry-conceived compound that birds perceive as a spider web. The windows themselves deter any flying or migrating bird from flying into the panes. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that window collisions kill between 300 million to 1 billion birds annually in the USA. Since the building installed their new windows, there hasn't been a single collision. Dr. Goodall thought this was a fine metaphor of sustainability and 'peace with nature'.
SJ Quinney School of Law (credit: University of Utah) Sustainable building design (Wallace Stegner Center)
Goodall concluded her presentation with a short video about the restoration of a chimpanzee population to an island in the Congo River. It was also an example of environmental sustainability, personal dedication, and a life of being mindful to nature.
WHB