Earth Day with Thomas Henley

NIST celebrated Earth Day on the 22 April 2011. In order to deepen students’ awareness and understanding of environmental issues, the School invited Thomas Henley to speak to students. A truly global figure in the world of conservation, Mr Henley has authored many books and taken part in real world action to make a difference to ecosystems and indigenous peoples.

Thomas believes that what students are learning in classrooms is totally different from the real world. He encourages young people to look outside the classroom to develop a proper understanding of the real world and how to survive it. Throughout his presentations, Thomas showed incredible understanding and knowledge of indigenous people in this region and great passion for maintaining the biosphere and indigenous cultures. He raised the question whether a developed lifestyle is really superior; when indigenous people are often able to live a harmonious life that escapes many of us in the developed world.

Thomas ended his slideshow with a beautiful photostory accompanied by the song ‘what a wonderful world’ which was both touching and enlightening! His presentation was inspiring for many of our students who would like him to organize a camp to go stay and experience the indigenous way of lives, something the School is investigating. On Earth Day, Thomas’s presentation was a timely reminder that new isn’t always better, that living a ‘developed’ life is not always smarter and that we share the world with many people who can teach us a great deal if we only allow them to survive!

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