Dr. Jane Goodall lived an extraordinary life. In 1960, at the tender age of 26, she traveled from England to what is now Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to study chimpanzees in the wild. Goodall made the groundbreaking discovery that chimpanzees use tools, with personalities and emotional responses to rival humans.
I met Goodall at New York Climate Week last September, a week before her death at the age of 91. Sixty-five years after her first trip to Gombe, Goodall was still relentlessly spreading her message of hope, fundraising to protect chimpanzees, and encouraging the next generation of scientists and nature lovers. On Monday night, the UK branch of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) staged a celebration of Goodall’s life at The Peninsula London — the inaugural Hope Gala, designed to secure her legacy.
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What sustainable fashion can learn from Dr Jane Goodall
Dr Jane Goodall dedicated her life to studying chimpanzees in the wild. A week before she passed away, the zoologist and primatologist spoke to Vogue Business about legacy and the message she wants to be remembered for.
It was an event designed to pull at people’s heartstrings, and open their wallets in the process. The room was dressed to look like a rainforest, with the sounds of Gombe Stream National Park immersing the audience in the habitat they were there to protect. There was an art exhibition by the entrance — by French street artist Mr. Brainwash — as celebrities mingled with financiers and explorers. The approach was not dissimilar to the inaugural Nat Gala at New York Climate Week last September, using culture as a Trojan Horse for conservation.
“We are competing against so much noise, we have to connect with people’s emotions,” says JGI UK trustee and director of strategic partnerships Rosemary Reed, who organized the event. “You don’t make people care by telling them something; you have to make them feel connected. And while we don’t have Jane physically anymore, we do have her energy, as well as a lot of people who were touched by her work.”
On the eve of the gala, I sat down with Reed to hear more about JGI’s work, her efforts to build its presence in the UK, and how fashion and beauty could step up to support conservation at this critical junction.
Making conservation part of culture
The gala guest list showed just how widespread Dr. Goodall’s appeal was. Executives from Disney and National Geographic came out in force, rubbing shoulders with actors like James Nesbitt and Peter Egan, comedian Ricky Gervais, Domino’s Pizza UK founder Lord Rumi Verjee, and singer Jess Glynne. Throughout the night, JGI wheeled out several of these well-loved figureheads to hammer home Goodall’s message of hope.
“Despite witnessing environmental loss and human suffering on a global scale, Jane never turned away in despair. Instead, she spoke of what she called reasons for hope. She believed hope was not something we wait for, but something we practice and something we choose. It is this belief that has stayed with me, and it resonates deeply with the mission of the Earthshot Prize, too,” William, Prince of Wales said in a pre-recorded video statement. “Even in the most difficult moments, optimism can be a powerful call to action — to seek out solutions, to support those who dare to innovate, and to scale change with the urgency this moment demands.”
Comedian Ricky Gervais attends the inaugural Jane Goodall Institute UK Hope Gala.Photo: Getty Images