________ Inspires Me to Care About Our Planet.

________ Inspires Me to Care About Our Planet.

In Changing PlanetTags Andrew HowleySeptember 20, 201124 Comments

A Window on the World

This week more than 2,500 National Geographic fans have shared what inspires them to care about the planet, through a post Tuesday morning on our official Facebook page.

More than 1000 of their responses are represented in the word cloud above. The size of each word reflects the amount of times it has appeared in people’s comments. Mouse over individual words for a closer look.

The Big Ideas

Several words jump right out as those used more than any others: “children” is one, “nature” is another, and close on their heels is simply “beauty.”

National Geographic Explorers and photographers feel much the same, and these values are expressed in their work. 2011 Emerging Explorer Juan Martinez works for the Children and Nature Network, helping promote healthier lifestyles by getting kids outside playing, exploring, and simply experiencing the great outdoors. And every year, National Geographic teams up with the U.S. National Park Service to host a BioBlitz, getting kids and others out in the wild to catalog the species in their area. This year’s event is October 21-22 in Saguaro National Park in Arizona.

Meanwhile, Dino Martins is out every day revealing the incredible nature of the tiniest and most common creatures (see video), and Annie Griffiths not only captures beautiful photographs herself, but pulls together the best of others, giving you an opportunity to learn the secrets of taking the best photos yourself.

What’s Next?

You too can join these conversations and help shape the discussions of the future. In the comments below or on Facebook, add your suggestion for the next blank you’d like to see filled by your fellow National Geographic fans around the world. The possibilities are ________________.

Meet the Author

Andrew Howley is a longtime contributor to the National Geographic blog, with a particular focus on archaeology and paleoanthropology generally, and ancient rock art in particular. In 2018 he became Communications Director at Adventure Scientists, founded by Nat Geo Explorer Gregg Treinish. Over 11 years at the National Geographic Society, Andrew worked in various ways to share the stories of NG explorers and grantees online. He also produced the Home Page of nationalgeographic.com for several years, and helped manage the Society's Facebook page during its breakout year of 2010. He studied Anthropology with a focus on Archaeology from the College of William & Mary in Virginia. He has covered expeditions with NG Explorers-in-Residence Mike Fay, Enric Sala, and Lee Berger. His personal interests include painting, running, and reading about history. You can follow him on Twitter @anderhowl and on Instagram @andrewjhowley.

Frank Trent
God inspires me to be all that I can be …. Keep looking up! In Him, Always
jeannette
idiots who attach dna to viruses to make genetically modified organisms… come on people this needs to stop!
J.P. Bonhomme
Our forests need________________
Crystal Lockett-Miller
I hope to __________ at least once in my lifetime. 🙂
rahool ali
The need for freedom, and opportunity to live study and work as a team under the branches of love and well being and prosperity, building great nations and cities and better ideas for food and survival as a whole.
Matthew Ceder
I am shocked I could not find the word “home” or “only”
Leslie Foster
Endless!
Dora
Natural Resources
sherry giniewicz
It takes a natural disaster for people to look into there hearts for them to realize that this is our only planet. Wake up one morning and watch a baby deer walk across the lawn or watch an eagle fly through the blue sky. When you go to bed watch your child sleep. It doesn’t take much to know we should be inspired every moment of each day. Look into your hearts. JUST STOP LOOK AND LISTEN. You would be surprised on what you see.
denice petit
to be alive
Juvy Love L. Lacre
God inspires me to care about the planet because he created everything that we have right now especially in our environment… so we humans as part of God creation,,we are oblige to take care of his creations…^_^
Moira Maclaine-Cross
Faith,hope ,charity and of course LOVE
Nancy Hubbs-Chang
Wonderful stuff! I’m a little disappointed, though, that National Geographic is insisting on us downloading a potentially suspect piece of software (Microsoft Silverlight) to see something that should be utilizing established protocols common to most of the personal computers out there, not just the “latest and greatest.” And you folks care about history…tsk.
David Montelongo
GOD
Meekah Sage
Mitakuye Oyasin!
Linda M Oppel
the thing I care more about than my own self is the animals Im talking about cats & dogs we let them come into our homes many many moons ago we feed them sheltered them & loved them but for some reason I see so many of them roaming the highways & streets some are hungry they dont know what to do how to hunt I tried to help one dog by giving him some food & water when I approached him his tail was between his legs till he sat on his back and fell backwards these poor animals need help the other day I drove pass a dog standing just looking at the trafic like he was waiting on someone to stop the next day he was laying with all 4 pawls in the air I cried all the way home I wanted to help him but I have 7 cats & dogs I picked up along the way no one person can do it so how do we do it of course I cry when I see a turtle or deer or any other animal dead killed by man & his machine
Erna Yosmine Ferrer
Peace and unity of the world Inspires Me to Care Our Planet.
Dan Ericson
Plastics. Chemicals. Garbage. How these three are polluting our oceans and waterways – not to mention groundwater via landfills – and the effects it has on our aquatic food sources, our water and most importantly, our bodies.
Mahesh
Population
Jahid Hasan Fahad
wonderfull
Clean Planet
The words seen most prominently in this cloud reminds us of what factors we feel the most connected to. Nature, children, care, life, beauty, animals…If we take the time to stop and think we will be reminded of what constructs the core of us. All of these elements contribute towards making us. Why still do we feel so disconnected?
Western Ghats Eco Escapes
The sheer beauty and diversity in terrain, landscape, people, wildlife inspires us to save this planet.
Subho Bhattacharya
Every thing in the nature– inspires me to care about my planet.
Page Ellsworth
I lessen my footprint on the environment by______________.
“Animals/ wildlife” was my answer to the above question. But enough of reflecting, let’s get proactive and do what we need to do to save our “home” and all the creatures in it, our children included!

Changing Planet