Imagine you had the whole world's attention for only five minutes. What could you possibly say in that short amount of time?
At the age of twelve, Severn Cullis-Suzuki used her five minutes in front of the Earth Summit to persuade her audience to fight for our planet's environmental future. She appealed to them not as world leaders or politicians, but as parents, siblings, and children who were all a part of an even bigger family that made up the entire human race. She urged them to keep the world as a safe home for their children and their children's children, who would all eventually join that bigger family as well.
She was a child challenging her elders to take responsibility for the world in which they raised her--and they listened.
At the time, Severn didn't realize her speech was being taped, but when the UN later sent her the video, she distributed it upon request, year after year (Perspectives On Rio+20). And with the advent of Youtube, her words have now reached and inspired even more people across several generations.
How can you not marvel at the impact of young Severn's words and passion?
Severn, now 34, continues to fight for an environmentally sound Earth. As an adult, one of her focuses is to motivate the youth to become a part of the process, just as she had once been a youth advocating for a better, cleaner world. We hope this Mighty Relevant Woman will never stop using her passion to raise environmental awareness and prompt change in adults and children everywhere!
Have any thoughts about Severn's impact? Know any other Mighty Relevant you would like us to talk about? Leave a comment below, tweet us @MightyFingers, send us a message on Facebook, or email us at [email protected]!
Cullis-Suzuki, Severn. "Six Minutes to Save the Earth." Perspectives on RIO+20. United Nations Environment Programme. n.d. Web. 29 Sep. 2014.
At the age of twelve, Severn Cullis-Suzuki used her five minutes in front of the Earth Summit to persuade her audience to fight for our planet's environmental future. She appealed to them not as world leaders or politicians, but as parents, siblings, and children who were all a part of an even bigger family that made up the entire human race. She urged them to keep the world as a safe home for their children and their children's children, who would all eventually join that bigger family as well.
She was a child challenging her elders to take responsibility for the world in which they raised her--and they listened.
At the time, Severn didn't realize her speech was being taped, but when the UN later sent her the video, she distributed it upon request, year after year (Perspectives On Rio+20). And with the advent of Youtube, her words have now reached and inspired even more people across several generations.
How can you not marvel at the impact of young Severn's words and passion?
Severn, now 34, continues to fight for an environmentally sound Earth. As an adult, one of her focuses is to motivate the youth to become a part of the process, just as she had once been a youth advocating for a better, cleaner world. We hope this Mighty Relevant Woman will never stop using her passion to raise environmental awareness and prompt change in adults and children everywhere!
Have any thoughts about Severn's impact? Know any other Mighty Relevant you would like us to talk about? Leave a comment below, tweet us @MightyFingers, send us a message on Facebook, or email us at [email protected]!
Cullis-Suzuki, Severn. "Six Minutes to Save the Earth." Perspectives on RIO+20. United Nations Environment Programme. n.d. Web. 29 Sep. 2014.
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