As Earth Day 2012 approaches, it is important to shine a light on young heroes who spread the word about issues that affect all of us and our Mother Earth. Case in point, Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s 1992 speech at the United Nations Earth Summit conference in Rio de Janerio is not only inspirational and but highly relevant to our present day ecological circumstances.

In 1988, Severn founded the Environmental Children’s Organization, a group of 12-13 year olds promoting environmental sustainability and preservation. In 1992, at age 12, Cullis-Suzuki raised money with members of ECO to attend and participate in the Earth Summit conference 5,000 miles away from their home in Vancouver, Canada. Speaking from the conference floor, Severn was applauded by conference delegates for speaking about the adverse effects of pollution, deforestation, global poverty, growing socioeconomic disparities, and the mass extinction of animal and plants species.

Subsequently posted to YouTube on April 18, 2008, The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 minutes became a viral hit, accumulating over 16 million views. Numerous YouTubers remixed the video, incorporating music and photo montages to complement Severn’s points. While very few people knew about Severn’s speech until recently, this video now serves to inspire and inform youth twenty years after the fact.

In one of the more powerful moments, Severn talks about not being able to go fishing with father because the fish contain cancer and toxins. Drawing upon her encounters with street children in Rio, she addresses the growing socioeconomic gap between the rich and poor. Her speech denounces the UN’s inaction and counterproductive actions that further undercut environmental sustainability: “If you don’t know how to fix it, please, stop breaking it.” She notes that we do not hold those that strip the environment of its nutrients accountable, and that man-made disasters such as large oil spills occur every day, killing animals and polluting the water. Framing the issue as preserving the environment for the next generation of children, Severn reminds us about the far-reaching consequences of our actions and inaction.

An Emerging Environmental Hero

Now, twenty years later, young environmental activists are continuing where Severn’s speech left off. Ta’Kaiya Blaney, 10, is a singer-songwriter, actress, speaker and activist. She co-wrote and sang “Shallow Waters”, a song about the dangers of oil spills to marine and coastal life in an effort to stop a proposed oil pipeline from the Alberta Tar Sands to the British Columbia coast. The song was a semi-finalist in the 2010 David Suzuki Songwriting Contest, Playlist for the Planet, which was named after Severn’s father.

Like Severn, Ta’Kaiya draws upon personal observations and experience to illustrate how life forms are disappearing before our eyes. The Shallow Waters music video showcases her immense talent and deep personal connection with nature. Ta’Kaiya speaks at workshops and universities across Canada to inspire youth to proactively campaign for environmental and social justice. As one of the twenty “We Canada” Champions, she will be speaking at the UN Earth Summit 2012 in Rio De Janiero from June 20-22.

Ta’kaiya also appears on the forthcoming Pacha’s Pajamas album along with the Agape Youth Choir and six other socially conscious youth. It’s amazing to see socially conscious youth collaborating to raise awareness and inspire action on behalf of their and future generations.

Send Ta’Kaiya to Earth Summit 2012

Ta’Kaiya is raising funds for her trip to Earth Summit 2012 in Rio De Janiero. As a media child reporter, she hopes to interview leaders and representatives around the world while representing indigenous organizations. She will also sing and speak at forums. We at BALANCE Films are supporting her efforts to raise funds.  If you know of any foundations, organizations or individuals who may be interested in sponsoring Ta’Kaiya’s trip to Earth Summit 2012, please contact info@takaiyablaney.com.

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