“Save the Planet!” is a rallying cry to motivate us to take better care of the Earth, but the PBS video “Why It’s Time to Stop Saving the Planet “ takes a different approach.
Based on Jenny Price’s book Stop Saving the Planet!, the video explains how viewers should see themselves as part of the natural world, not detached from it. When we view ourselves as separate, we’re prevented from seeing how we impact the environment by living in it. That distances us from feeling responsible for where we live. Price drives this point home in this quote from the introduction to her book, “We live inside of environments 100%, and we change environments 24/7 to live.”
According to wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, host of the PBS video, “If we want to truly save the planet, we have to understand that our lives are foundationally environmental. We have to think about how we change our environments and how to do it better, more equitably, more sustainably…for the benefit and well-being of us all.”
The video follows the impact of fires on California’s Six Rivers National Forest and wolves in Yellowstone National Park before and after well-meaning programs meant to “control” these environments. See how these impacts can aid or hinder these environments over time. The video is just 7 minutes long and offers a new look at the impacts we humans have on this planet we call home.
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