Social Media, Sustainability
David Attenborough (94) Breaks the Instagram World Record
We Are Colleagues Now.
Never too old to make an impact. David Attenborough proves it with his Instagram World Record. Proud to be his colleague.
Last Thursday, David Attenborough needed only four hours and 44 minutes to attract one million followers to his Instagram account. His reason for joining was simple: “The world is in trouble.”
This news touches me for two reasons.
- Old people like David Attenborough (94) and young people like Greta Thunberg (17) act upon their urge to create a healthy planet. Side by side. An effort for impact. No stone unturned.
- People are apparently longing to connect to nature. Otherwise, it would have been some non-substantial person breaking the record. Or a politician. A beautiful actress or a porn star.
I really admire the stamina of this man. 60 years on TV and radio. And now social media. To make a difference. To show the world how beautiful our planet is and what damage we are doing. He shares beauty, devastation, solutions, and action.
Influencer for Change
When I was 49, I left my job and became a freelancer for Gaia. I had always held business jobs. And at that moment, I was an international marketing manager for a high-tech engineering company. We developed physical vapor deposition technology and built machines for the industry.
I liked my job, had great international colleagues, and intellectual challenges were coloring my days. But I had this longing. This urge. So I quit my job.
In my surroundings, people declared me crazy. I was nearing fifty. I had a steady job and a pension scheme. In their opinion, I would never get another job as good as this one.
And in a sense, my friends were right. Some nights, I woke up sweating, thinking I would never make it. That I would land in the gutter. But the longing, the urge, was just too intense.
It was a strong feeling that:
- I wanted to live the best life I could ever live. And if I would go on in my old routines, I would never achieve that.
- We need to be connected to nature again if we want to solve the problems of our world. And if I succeeded to make a (modest) living like this, I would at least have contributed to building a better world in my lifetime.
So, despite the sweaty nights, I have built a new life for myself in the last six years. As a bonus, David Attenborough, one of my heroes, is now my colleague.
Ocean Wisdom
At the beginning of this year, I was in Bali to talk with locals about healthy island economies and how they can be achieved. One day later, I received a message from Alexandra Cousteau. She had missed my talk but wanted to meet with me to discuss the ocean.
My partner Mike and I looked at each other. Cousteau? We Googled. And yes, the granddaughter of famous filmmaker Jacques Cousteau was called Alexandra.
Jacques is in the league of David Attenborough. He invented the underwater filming in such a way that many people of my generation were mesmerized. He made the unfamiliar ocean very sexy.
That week we had the most inspiring lunch in Ubud with Alexandra, her husband Fritz, and their two children.
Alexandra is an interesting woman. An environmental activist with deep knowledge of the sea and water cycles. A filmmaker. A protector of her grandfather’s values. And an advisor for many governments.
I’m glad to be her colleague.
Chimpanzee Wisdom
There’s one person on my list still. I would love to meet her. She’s old, wise, and still very active. Primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall (86). The lady of the apes. Expert on chimpanzees.
Goodall is best known for her 60-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960. I like her Roots & Shoots program, which is bringing together youth from all ages to work on environmental, conservation, and humanitarian issues.
Roots and Shoots form an entangled network in over 140 countries, with more than 8000 local groups worldwide, inspiring 150,000 youth each year.
Jane gives us so much wisdom on how we could do it differently. How to live as humans intrinsically connected to the ecosystems of our planet.
I’m just honored to be her colleague.
Communications Challenge
Lately, I’ve been writing about how we are all drops. And about how many drops who stick together might become a wave of change.
David, Alexandra, Jane, and I are asking you to become involved. You can be an influencer for change too. Applying nature-connection to your personal life and sharing your stories with others.
“Saving our planet is now a communication challenge. We know what to do. We just need the will.” — David Attenborough on Instagram
In order to take care, in order to feel a responsibility and act upon it in our day-to-day lives, we need to love nature. We need to rewild our souls.
Are you joining us?
Thank you, Mike, for adding your wise energy to my words.
If you want to connect, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Or via one of my other social media. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, ManyStories, my website.