David Attenborough's remarks after receiving lifetime Champion of the Earth award are a must-watch

[David Attenborough's remarks after receiving lifetime Champion of the Earth award are a must-watch]( There are few absolutes in this world, but here's one of them: Sir David Attenborough is a priceless human treasure and anyone who disagrees is tragically wrong. The 95-year-old broadcaster, writer and environmentalist has been educating and entertaining us by producing and narrating documentaries for decades, his soothing voice and gentlemanly British accent creating conservation champions the world over. David Attenborough loves the natural world and he makes others love it too by sharing its wonders and its beauty, in addition to its vulnerabilities due to human activity. His passion makes it nearly impossible to walk away from an Attenborough documentary without a deep desire to do something to protect our planet. His long life of passionate dedication to conservation is why the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has honored Attenborough with the prestigious Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement award. Having co-created well over 100 documentaries in his life, including recent groundbreaking series such as "Planet Earth," Attenborough has continued his illustrious career well into his 90s. And as the world has careened toward the damaging impacts of climate change, he hasn't let up in his push for humanity to alter our path before too much of that damage becomes irreversible. [Read the Story]( [She found a brilliant way to spread kindness and help the planet with bottle cap 'buddy benches']( When Sammie Vance first approached her principal at Haley Elementary with the idea of installing “buddy benches” into her school playground, the concept was simple: help others feel less lonely. Little did she know that it would not only accomplish that goal, but evolve into something so much bigger. After first hearing about buddy benches (where a child can go sit to signal “hey, I’d like someone to play with”), Sammie was immediately inspired. What a great way to make sure no one feels alone. The good news? Her principal loved the idea. The not-so-good news: benches are expensive. Just one would cost nearly a thousand dollars. However, a bench made of recycled bottle caps … that would only be around $250. So Sammie reached out to others in her community in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to collect enough caps (around 400 lb) to make one bench. Eventually her goal went beyond Indiana, as she tried to get bottle caps from all 50 states. And thus, the initiative of “Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project” was born. [Read the Story]( [Celebrate our Non-Fungible Planet this Earth Day]( We are excited to celebrate Earth Day with YouTube and creators around the world to explore the Non-Fungible Planet we call home! Check out [youtube.com/earthday]( to explore awe-inspiring locations across the globe and ways you can support sustainability-focused organizations like Re:wild, Conservation International, Count Us In, National Park Foundation, WWF, and many more. #YouTubeEarthDay [Explore]( [Climate change impacts us all. Here's how sustainable family habits can help us all fight it.]( If you grew up in the late '80s or early '90s you probably remember all the talk of the ozone layer deteriorating. We traded our Aqua Net cans for the pump hair spray that often left our hair more damp and floppy, than the beautifully coifed waterfall bang teased to the heavens that we were actually going for. We yelled at our parents for not cutting up their plastic six-pack rings because of the sea turtles and their survival. Suddenly, news of the environment and earth's impending doom was constantly on the news and sneaked into our television shows on Nickelodeon and commercials on MTV. We heard about oil spills and animal extinction, and we were rightfully cautious and outraged. Today, we still cut our plastic rings before discarding them and opt for the pump sprayer over the aerosol can. We didn’t know then that we were young activists, we only knew we wanted to be good stewards of the planet we inhabited and we were going to drag our parents along with us. The fight for climate change and maintaining a healthy Earth didn’t end in the '90s. It’s something people are now more intentional about and are working to raise their children in a way that helps to prolong the life of the planet we call home. That’s why I connected with climate activist Shannon Brescher Shea, author of Growing Sustainable Together: Practical resources for raising kind, engaged and resilient children. I wanted to know what brought Shannon into climate activism, and how people can involve their children in making a lasting impact on the earth. Shannon was full of insights and ways parents can make small changes to their daily lives and ways they can get involved on a larger scale, joining a growing number of climate and sustainability activists. [Read the Story]( [Here’s why every big-box retailer should absolutely have solar panels on its roof]( There are a lot of reasons to be concerned for the planet’s future. One bright spot in the fight against climate change is the rise in solar power use in the United States. Solar power is more affordable than ever before. The cost of the average solar panel has dropped by 70% since 2014 and the country’s total solar capacity has risen from 0.34 gigawatts to an impressive 97.2 gigawatts since 2008. Today, more than 3% of the electricity generated in the U.S. comes from solar panels. The best way to expand on solar power growth is by finding new surfaces to place panels. One of the most underutilized are the roofs of America’s big-box retail stores. According to a report by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, the average Walmart has 180,000 square feet of rooftop, which is about the size of three football fields. Just one Walmart rooftop could generate enough solar energy to power 200 homes. [Read the Story]( Find us on the World Wide Web: [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Copyright © 2022 GOOD | Upworthy, All rights reserved. 1370 N St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028 You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.