Harry: How my grandmother inspires me to save the planet
PRINCE Harry has told how the Queen inspired him to help save the environment in a passionate speech.
The Duke of Sussex, 34, yesterday met young people from the Roots and Shoots global activism project atWindsor Castle.
The programme aims to inspire the belief that everyone can play a small role in making the world a better place.
Encouraging the group to do whatever they can to help conserve the environment, Harry revealed his grandmother’s words had moved him to take action.
He said: “As my grandmother, the Queen, once said, ‘Sometimes the world’s problems are so big we think we can do little to help.
“‘On our own we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine’.”
Roots and Shoots was founded by conservationist Dame Jane Morris Goodall in 1991. It started with just 12 Tanzanian high school students from nine schools but has grown to involve thousands who carry out work in more than 50 countries.
Praising 85-year-old Dame Jane’s dedication, Harry said: “I met Jane last year and my affirmation was probably similar to how you all felt this week when you met her for the first time.
“That she is a woman of kindness, warmth, immense knowledge and a softness that’s needed by mankind just as much as it is chimpkind.”
The Prince told the budding
young activists they had the “power, the compassion and the tools to save our planet”.
Urging them to set an example through the choices they make, he said he had seen first-hand the difference conservation efforts can make through his work as a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador and as president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. He said: “From New Zealand to Zambia, I’ve been lucky enough to meet incredible people all over the world who are leading the way in coming up with sustainable solutions. They have developed ways to turn recycled plastic into bricks, create textiles and clothing from 100 per cent sustainable materials, and found ways to use solar-powered energy to light up huge rural communities.
“It’s innovations like these, born from the creativity of young people’s minds, which will turn the tide for humanity and preserve our planet for future generations.
“I also read that one of Jane’s mottos is ‘think global, act local’.
“That’s incredibly powerful and it’s what all of you are doing, so well done, keep up the good work and always remember, change begins right there… with you.”