Five Observations From Global Citizen

By Dan Lambe

I had the great privilege to attend this year's Global Citizen Live Event to support one of our innovative corporate partners Procter & Gamble. Global Citizen is an international movement of citizens who come together in an effort to end poverty by 2030. This year, the event coalesced around three different fronts: defending the planet, defeating poverty, and ending the pandemic.

At the Arbor Day Foundation, we are a proud collaborator in this global movement to protect the planet by planting trees and managing forest lands. Last year alone, the Arbor Day Foundation helped to plant more than 38 million trees around the world. That’s the equivalent of planting every tree in Central Park every 7 hours for an entire year.

We work every day with partners in more than 50 countries, to plant trees, engage tree planters and make a difference on the quality of lives for people everywhere. We're looking to restore and protect biodiversity, create economic opportunities for underserved populations, and increase the scale of tree planting like never before.

The Global Citizen Live event was inspiring and brought a great sense of optimism to be a part of this year, so I wrote down my five favorite observations from the weekend.

#1. The Global Citizen Live event is about inspiring action from every person to do their part to protect the planet, end hunger, and promote equity around the world.

Global Citizen is not only asking individuals and philanthropists to come together in this moment of crisis, but also governments, corporations, and NGOs. This event is simply one more reminder of the momentum, energy, and collective spirit required to truly make an impact on the most significant issues facing the world today.

#2. Global Citizen is an international movement partnered with a global network of corporations who care about the planet.

I spent my time at the Global Citizen Live event with Procter & Gamble, showcasing its environmental sustainability vision that oversees all its brands. Many of the corporations there, like Verizon and Salesforce, were showcasing similar broad, long-term sustainability objectives. These corporations are stepping up in an authentic way to show their commitment and dedication to changing the fundamental way their businesses operate.   

#3. Trees and forests are top of mind for everyone.

Everybody is talking about trees. Nearly every celebrity, singer, artist, government and corporate leader mentioned trees. More and more people recognize that while trees are not the only answer, they will always be part of the larger solution to climate change.

#4. The future is secure in the hands of the generations to come.

Many people are quick to write off the younger generations as apathetic and disinterested. However, that is not the case from what I saw this past weekend. Global Citizen is a movement of any age but especially the younger generations who are empowered and determined to secure the world's future they will inherit. When allowed to prove themselves, they have shown that they can rise to the occasion time and time again.

#5. Global Citizen is inspiring in how it drives action.

Global Citizen relies on the collective power that comes from people actively campaigning for positive change. It is not just trying to engage the biggest corporations or the largest governments in the world. It is engaging individuals in every generation by forging a pathway for anyone and everyone to play their part, regardless of how small their part might be. I was impressed by how Global Citizen was creating an opportunity for individuals all around the world to take action in their own way to make a difference.

That is the kind of future we all can look forward to.

Dan Lambe is president of the Arbor Day Foundation. He can be reached at dlambe@arborday.org.