To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2020, Sanctuary Nature Foundation partners with Book My Show to bring to you an exciting series of online sessions by inspiring changemakers from across the world; bankers, filmmakers, artists, photographers, and activists, who have contributed greatly to environmental protection. The series ran from April 22 to May 8, 2020.
This article is a compilation of the episodes. Part 2 of the episodes can be found here.
In April 1970, Denis Hayes organised the first-ever Earth Day, which gathered 20 million supporters in the United States of America; a tremendous success in a time when mobiles and social media were non-existent. Fifty years down the line, he has a lot to share about the origins of the Earth Day Network and lessons from the past for a better, more sustainable future.
(This video originally aired on April 22, 6.00 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia)
Bittu Sahgal is the Founder of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, Editor of Sanctuary Asia, India's first and largest circulating wildlife and ecology magazine. He speaks to us of how the Earth can repair itself... provided we learn to flow with its tide, and allow it to heal.
(This video originally aired on April 22, 6.30 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
An environmental activist, author and food sovereignty advocate, Vandana Shiva is also a Sanctuary Wildlife Awards Lifetime Achievment Award Winner 2019. She has written and spoken extensively about destruction caused by industrial, globalised agriculture and food. She started Navdanya, the movement to conserve seeds and biodiversity, and practice and promote organic farming. She has assisted grassroots organisations of the Green movement and governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria to create awareness about intellectual property rights, biodiversity, biotechnology, bioethics, genetic engineering biosafety, and more.
She talks about how food, health, and economy are interconnected, and what is the way forward after COVID-19.
(This video originally aired on April 24, 6.00 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
Paul Abraham is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at IndusInd Bank, President of Hinduja Foundation, and Sarmaya Arts Foundation. He talks about the journey of human consumption, and how global stakeholders should take collective action towards sustainable development and growth, which is particularly important in the face of COVID19.
(This video originally aired on April 24, 6.30 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
Swati Thyagarajan is one of India’s top conservation and environmental journalists. 'Born Wild', the show she scripts, directs and presents, is the only conservation show to have had a ten-year run on a news channel. She has covered the joys and problems of India's wilds -- from the reintroduction of rhinos in Manas, the problems faced by olive Ridley turtles in Orissa, to the fate of the cold desert wildlife of Ladakh.
She analyses how our connection to nature is vital to save the world from future pandemics and disasters.
(This video originally aired on April 26, 6.00 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
A champion of nature, Dia Mirza's love for cinema and desire to tell socially relevant stories made her set up her own film production company Born Free Entertainment. Her footprints go way beyond films and fashion and leave valuable imprints in the fields of social change, environment, and conservation. Dia has and continues to use every possible platform and to spearhead the movement to reignite and strengthen the connection between man and nature and contribute to positive social change.
She shares how her love for nature was nurtured and grown from childhood to present.
(This video originally aired on April 26, 6.30 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
Shannon Elizabeth is an actor, activist, and conservationist, who founded the founded the non-profit Animal Avengers in 2001, which later became the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation. Simon Borchert is a socially and environmentally minded brand and business strategist and spearheads the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation. Here, they are in conversation about how to be better human beings in a post #COVID world. They emphasize the need to "listen" to what Mother Nature really needs and highlight important points on how every individual can help make a difference.
(This video originally aired on April 28, 6.00 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
Steve Winter is one of the world’s most celebrated wildlife photographers, who has not only raised the technical and quality bar for nature photography, but also its ethical standards. Sharon Guynup is an award-winning journalist, author and researcher who, over the past few years, has worked in investigations of wildlife poaching, crime and trade.
The duo share behind-the-scenes tales of some of their groundbreaking stories for National Geographic; such as the investigation behind the illegal tiger breeding in a Thailand Tiger Temple, and their three-year investigation on captive tigers in the United States. Their work symbolises how powerful the tools of photography and journalism are in wildlife conservation and in preventing wildlife trade; particularly vital in the light of the COVID pandemic.
(This video originally aired on April 28, 6.30 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
Cara Tejpal heads Sanctuary's Mud on Boots Project, designed to empower and support grassroots conservationists across India. A gifted writer, she promises to be amongst India's most effective conservation communicators. She focuses on the unknown frontline heroes helping to protect the biodiversity of the Indian subcontinent.
(This video originally aired on April 30, 6.00 p.m. on Sanctuary Asia.)
Anish Andheria
President, Wildlife Conservation Trust
A Carl Zeiss Conservation Awardee, Anish Andheria is a conservation biologist, naturalist, and author and a wildlife photographer of repute. A natural communicator, he has introduced thousands of young people to the joys of nature and the rationale or nature conservation; he played a pivotal role in setting up the Kids For Tigers programme.
Anish shares insights from his career as a conservation biologist; on encountering tigers in the wild, and the work he is doing to protect them.
