Dr Jane Goodall Says ‘Think Before You Buy’ To Protect Animals And The Planet

Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned zoologist and primatologist, urged people to take greater care over their purchases while appearing on The Today Show earlier this year.

She was on the program to commemorate her 90th birthday, which fell on April 3, 2024. Dr Goodall is a well-known advocate for conservation, and much of her work surrounds campaigning on environmental and animal issues. She used her appearance to call on the public to think about the impacts that their purchase have on humans, non-human animals, and the planet.

“The most important thing is for people to understand that every day we live on this planet we make some impact,” she said. “So this thing we’re buying, we should ask: did it harm the environment when it was made? Was it cruel to animals, like factory farms, meat, eggs, milk? Is it cheap because of unfair wages or slave labor?” Dr Goodall went on to state that, while it might cost more to buy an ethically-produced product, “you value it more and we waste less.”

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“Human waste is horrendous,” she continued. “Whether it’s food, clothing, or whatever.”

Jane Goodall’s advocacy

Dr Goodall began her career studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania in the early 1960s. Her work subsequently expanded to include broader environmental issues that affect wildlife and human communities.

Throughout her career, she has been a prominent climate activist. She established a conservation organization called the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, and her work addresses issues including the climate and biodiversity crises, wildlife trafficking, and animal welfare.

Dr Goodall stopped eating meat more than five decades ago after coming to terms with the cruelty of animal agriculture. In a 2017 blog post, Dr Goodall famously wrote: “I looked at the pork chop on my plate and thought: this represents fear, pain, death. That did it, and I went plant-based instantly.”