Blue Planet Month. Has a nice ring to it, right? We think May should be about marking the achievements of ocean hero Sir David Attenborough, whose 94th birthday fell on the 8th. Why, you ask? Here are 5 good reasons as to why we think Sir David deserves a commemorative month:
1. With ‘The Blue Planet’ and ‘Blue Planet II’, he created mass awareness of how us humans are destroying our oceans
“We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet. And never before have we had the power to do something about that. Surely we have a responsibility to care for our Blue Planet.” – Sir David Attenborough
In this award winning TV series, our ocean hero quite literally deep dives into what makes our oceans special. And what we can - and should - do to preserve them. Even though this isn’t news to us, it did at the time cause a tidal wave (pun intended) of mass awareness around how human pollution is harming our underwater ecosystems. Making our jobs at Dopper just a little bit easier.
2. 66 years of animal and planet conservation in 94 years
Blue Planet might be one of the most recent highlights in the life of this changemaker. His career however spans 66 years. Talking about dedication. At age 28 (in 1954) he joined the BBC where he soon found himself producing a roundtable discussion on wildlife conservation. We see a trend developing.
3. Attenborosaurus. We’re not kidding: a fossil named after Sir David
According to Atlas Obscura there are about 17 species (living or extinct) that are named after David Attenborough. The ultimate proof of a global super star. Perhaps one day, when all single-use plastic water bottles are extinct and our oceans are safe, Dopper too might be honoured for our services. Perhaps “Dopperfication” could be a new term to describe “mass adoption of reusable water bottles”. One can only hope.
4. He is an activist at heart.
David Attenborough (co)produced, wrote, presented, narrated, or featured in over 120 major projects throughout his life. And as a true activist at heart, he is not slowing down with age. His next documentary will highlight the problems climate change is forcing us to face. In case you’re wondering: yes, we have climate action ambitions too. Find out more about how we, as a company, are planning on getting to zero emissions by 2030 here.
5. He continues to shape the education of the natural world
Like Sir David, we believe in the power of education as a key pillar for driving change. This is why we launched design-based educational programs like The Changemaker Challenge and The Changemaker Challenge Junior. Now, the naturalist has announced his involvement in a BBC initiative that will see a number of British celebrities teach schoolchildren across the UK a digital school curriculum in lockdown. To find out how you can tune to a geography lesson with Sir David, visit the BBC website.
