Severn Cullis-Suzuki

Severn Suzuki
Cullis-Suzuki speaking at the University of Alberta
Born (1979-11-30) November 30, 1979
Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada
Occupation environmental activist, speaker, television host, author, Humanitarian
Language English
Citizenship Canadian
Alma mater Yale University
Notable works Honoured in the United Nations Environment Programme's Global 500 Roll of Honour.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki (born November 30, 1979, in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian environmental activist, speaker, television host and author. She has spoken around the world about environmental issues, urging listeners to define their values, act with the future in mind, and take individual responsibility. She is the daughter of Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki.

Biography

Cullis-Suzuki was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia.[1] Her mother is writer Tara Elizabeth Cullis. Her father, geneticist and environmental activist David Suzuki, is a third-generation Japanese Canadian.[2] While attending Lord Tennyson Elementary School in French Immersion, at age 9, she founded the Environmental Children's Organization (ECO), a group of children dedicated to learning and teaching other youngsters about environmental issues.[3] In 1992, at age 12, Cullis-Suzuki raised money with members of ECO to attend the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Along with group members Michelle Quigg, Vanessa Suttie, and Morgan Geisler, Cullis-Suzuki presented environmental issues from a youth perspective at the summit, where she was applauded for a speech to the delegates.[4][5] The video has since become a viral hit, popularly known as "The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes".[6] In 1993, she was honored in the United Nations Environment Programme's Global 500 Roll of Honour.[7] In 1993, Doubleday published her book Tell the World, a 32-page book of environmental steps for families.

Cullis-Suzuki graduated from Yale University in 2002 with a B.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology.[3] After Yale, Cullis-Suzuki spent two years traveling. Cullis-Suzuki co-hosted Suzuki's Nature Quest, a children's television series that aired on the Discovery Kids in 2002.

In early 2002, she helped launch an Internet-based think tank called The Skyfish Project.[8][9] As a member of Kofi Annan's Special Advisory Panel, she and members of the Skyfish Project brought their first project, a pledge called the "Recognition of Responsibility", to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August 2002.[3] The Skyfish Project disbanded in 2004 as Cullis-Suzuki turned her focus back to school. She enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Victoria to study ethnobotany under Nancy Turner, finishing in 2007.[8]

Severn is married and lives with her husband and two children in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki is the main character in the documentary film Severn, the Voice of Our Children, directed by Jean-Paul Jaud and released theatrically in France on November 10, 2010.

Cullis-Suzuki is an Earth Charter International Council Member.

Tributes

In 2012, the Spanish funk band Laboratorio Funk used excerpts from her 1992 speech for their track Feel high, belonging to the album Sun in lb funk http://www.laboratoriofunk.com/

In 2016, the South Florida vegan straight edge metalcore band xELEGYx used excerpts from her 1992 speech for their track 'Elegy.' [10]

In 2017, the French indie band Grands Boulevards used excerpts from her 1992 speech for their track Children of Light.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "BC Author Bank: Cullis-Suzuki, Severn". ABCBookWorld. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 23, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 "Severn Cullis-Suzuki". Speakers' Spotlight. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  4. ↑ Cullis-Suzuki, Severn (June 1992). "Address to the Plenary Session, Earth Summit". The Sloth Club. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  5. ↑ Cullis-Suzuki, Severn (August 18, 2002). "The Young Can't Wait". Time. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  6. ↑ "The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes". Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  7. ↑ Maybaum, Mary Ann (May 1, 2004). "UNEP Global 500 Laureates – Award Winners". United Nations Environment Program. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  8. 1 2 Suzuki, David (2006). David Suzuki: The Autobiography. Canada: Greystone Books. ISBN 1-55365-156-1.
  9. ↑ Scott, Julia (2003). "Earth Pioneer". Collage. Archived from the original on May 23, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  10. ↑ Elegy (2016-12-08), xELEGYx - Elegy, retrieved 2018-08-30
  11. ↑ Grands Boulevards (2017-04-21), Grands Boulevards - Children of Light [Official Music Video], retrieved 2017-04-25
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