I had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Jane Goodall on her 90th birthday in April 2024. She was in Manhattan to announce a unique collaboration with Brilliant Earth, a jewelry company. This partnership involved a substantial $100,000 donation to the Jane Goodall Institute and the launch of her own eco-conscious jewelry line, featuring recycled gold and lab-grown diamonds, completely sidestepping traditional mining practices.
The atmosphere was vibrant, filled with the chatter of fashion influencers and preparations for a celebratory lunch. Yet, amidst the lively scene, Dr. Goodall appeared somewhat diminished, her exhaustion evident.
I knew exactly how I wanted to begin our conversation.
“As you awoke this morning, on your 90th birthday, what was the very first thought that crossed your mind?” I inquired. The ambient noise forced me to lean in closely to catch her reply.
“I wished I was anywhere but here,” she confessed.
Her unexpected honesty caught me off guard. Listening back to our interview recording, made on the day of her passing, I noticed the shift in my own voice, from lighthearted enthusiasm to genuine concern.
She elaborated, “You see, I find solace in nature.” She then spoke of the numerous birthday wishes she’d received and her thoughts turning to loved ones. But this particular day, she explained with a touch of sadness yet strong conviction, wasn’t for personal celebration.
“My 90th birthday,” she declared, “is dedicated to my mission: spreading awareness globally and securing funding for our vital projects.”
Those closest to Dr. Goodall confirmed her unwavering dedication to this cause. She was determined to ensure her institute’s conservation and educational initiatives would endure beyond her lifetime. Her commitment was evident in her willingness to leverage her immense influence – a profound reverence she commanded from people worldwide – to galvanize action against climate change and the alarming loss of biodiversity.
“That’s precisely why I spend 300 days a year traveling,” she affirmed. “It’s not enough to simply discuss what needs to be done. We absolutely must take action.”
From her early days as a groundbreaking researcher, famously observing chimpanzees fashioning tools for termite fishing, Jane Goodall consistently embraced her role as an advocate, always ready to champion her causes.
She frequently shared a humorous anecdote about her legs. In 1960s National Geographic photographs, she appeared as a young woman in Tanzania, ponytail flying, clad in shorts. Her legs, considered attractive, often drew comments. On a recent podcast, she recalled how some male scientists, driven by envy, suggested her prominence on magazine covers and research funding stemmed from her physical appearance.
“Today, such comments would lead to lawsuits, wouldn’t they?” she remarked. “But back then, my sole focus was returning to my chimpanzees. So, if my legs were helping me secure funding, then ‘thank you, legs!’” she quipped, playfully patting her thigh.
She added with a twinkle, “And honestly, they were rather splendid legs!”
Despite her exhaustion, which was visibly apparent last April, she insisted our interview continue when I offered to conclude it. She urged me to keep asking questions.
“This allows me to sit and chat with you, rather than engaging in social mingling,” she said with a warm smile.
Our conversation shifted to the upcoming United Nations biodiversity conference and her often-overlooked advocacy for reduced consumption. I recalled how she expanded the traditional three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) into five, adding ‘refuse’ and ‘rot.’ She firmly believed that adopting a circular economy, mirroring nature’s inherent zero-waste systems, was essential to overcoming our environmental challenges.
Dr. Goodall emphasized the pivotal role children play in inspiring adults towards more ethical living. Knowing her passion for Roots & Shoots, her institute’s youth program, she seized the chance to champion its importance.
We discussed the role of journalism, and she stressed the importance of reporters uncovering and sharing the impactful, often untold stories of individuals striving for positive change.
“It’s not merely about reporting good news,” she clarified, “but showing how those positive stories contribute to dispelling the widespread sense of doom and gloom.”
While death wasn’t a topic we directly addressed, it was a theme she frequently explored in her writings and talks. In her book, “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” co-authored with Doug Abrams, she famously described death as her ultimate great adventure.
A few months later, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Goodall again, this time live on stage at The New York Times’s 2024 Climate Forward event, precisely a year prior to this past week.
Among my cherished memories from that day are our moments together in the greenroom before the interview. We shared stories of our Welsh heritage, her grandfather and my mother. On this occasion, she exuded a calm, vibrant energy, a remarkable blend of gentleness and keen intellect.
Stepping onto the stage, my final question was clear.
In preparation for that event, I had crowdsourced questions for Dr. Goodall from diverse individuals. Consistently, the most pressing query was about finding hope. Aware that she had extensively addressed this in her books, I framed my question differently: How does one balance genuine hope — rooted in human ingenuity, nature’s resilience, youth activism, and the enduring human spirit — with the pitfalls of false hope, or “hopium”?
Her response was immediate and resolute.
“Hope is far more than mere wishful thinking,” she stated, inviting us to envision a long, dark tunnel with a distant star representing that hope.
“There’s no benefit in simply waiting at the entrance of that tunnel for hope to arrive,” she asserted. “We must roll up our sleeves. The Bible speaks of ‘girding your loins’ – a phrase I adore, even if its precise meaning is somewhat elusive. So, let’s gird our loins! We must overcome, bypass, and navigate every single obstacle standing between us and that guiding star.”