Since Eli and I founded BE almost two years ago, we’ve often been asked ‘why send people to the Amazon’? At first, it was pretty tempting to shoot back why not? I mean, it is the Amazon rainforest, one of the most beautiful ecosystems in the entire world. However, there is a lot more to it than the beauty and why not is not a sufficient answer.

Most often, these questions were accompanied by one of two reasons for asking.

1). Isn’t there enough environmental need in the United States? Why should our young generations go to the Amazon when coal mining is destroying Appalachian mountain tops and damming in the Tennessee River Basin is changing the south eastern U.S. ecosystems to the detriment of the area’s flora and fauna?

It is certainly true that there are jarring environmental concerns in the domestic United States — our cities spew pollutants into the atmosphere and derelict urban areas become cesspools for environmental degradation; our own beautiful ecosystems are under constant threat of overcrowding and over-development. What’s important to remember from BE is that we don’t try to downplay the need for environmental concern at home. On the contrary, we stress it in collaboration with our partner organizations such as 1Sky, which lobbies for the creation of green jobs in the U.S. among other domestic green initiatives. Further, BE mounted its own push for grassroots support for the climate bill to pass in congress and set cap and trade limits on U.S. carbon emissions.

We go to the Amazon because its not Appalachia or the Rockies. Many of these areas are places that our participants are from or could visit. Areas they are aware of and less motivated by. The amazon projects a sense of awe even when simply mentioned in passing. A visit there? It floors you and, we believe, will motivate you to take on environmental challenges wherever you choose, domestically or abroad.

2). Doesn’t it run contrary to the battle against climate change to send large numbers of kids on flights to South America, creating significant carbon emission?

Another understandable concern that we’ve often heard from individuals new to Birthright Earth and the general concept of our trips. It is true that, in order to get kids to such an exotic location, we have to employ major airlines for our trips. Fortunately, we’ve had great conversations with the airlines, including American and Delta, that fly to South America. All of our flights are carbon-credited in accordance with airline policy and the number of BE participants on each flight.

In a more thematic, macro-sense, the Power of Place makes flights to the Amazon a necessary step for Birthright Earth. There is no other way for us to get young people to the rainforest. Thus, we are considering the long-term future of our planet by investing in the mindsets and machinations of our nation’s youth as opposed to not sending them in consideration of short-term carbon emissions. At Birthright Earth, we believe that if we don’t send these young people, it won’t matter if we emit carbon over the next few years, because our young generations won’t care enough to save our planet.

So there’s a few reasons why the Amazon and not somewhere else. We believe its the motivational touchstone that will create watershed action against environmental issues for decades to come.

Still not sold? I hope these giant river otters are more convincing than me…

Amazonian Giant River Otters

See It, Save It

- tim