Who are going to be our environmental leaders of tomorrow?

Today, 7 years ago, New Zealand lost one of its heroes. Sir Peter Blake was tragically killed by pirates, while working on his expedition boat in the Amazon where he was monitoring global warming and pollution for the United Nations. Sir Peter Blake was the most accomplished sailor of our time, winning the Whitbread Round-the-World Race, setting a nonstop round-the-world record and winning two American cup races. When his active racing days were over, he remained at sea. First as head of expeditions for the Cousteau Society and later on his own. He sailed on behalf of oceanographic research and environmental awareness.

Together with Sir Edmund Hillary (another great New Zealand hero), Sir Peter Blake rates high on my list of New Zealand people to admire. Both have left a legacy, not only because of their unsurpassed achievements in their chosen discipline, climbing, or sailing, but for what they did with their success and fame after they achieved the highest standards. Sir Edmund Hillary devoted much of his life to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust which he founded. Sir Peter Blake set up his Blakexpeditions, leading expeditions aboard the Seamaster, collecting data for environmental purposes. Rather then retiring, these people worked hard and shared their amazing vision and passion. In Sir Peter's words:

"Having vision is not enough. Change comes through realising the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation."

In December 2003, the Sir Peter Blake Trust was established in his memory. The trust aims to help New Zealanders make a positive difference for the planet through activities that encourage environmental awareness and action, and leadership development.The Trust wants to carry on Sir Peter’s work and keep his spirit and values alive for future generations through a range of initiatives, including the annual Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards.

Sir Peter Blake had outstanding leadership qualities. With our planet in dismay, it is people like Sir Peter we desperately need. People who poses the, what I call, PICC attributes, Passion, Innovation, Creativity and Curiosity. Studies have shown that our environmental leaders of today were influenced by two main reasons. First, as young children, they were given plenty of opportunity for outdoor play. Secondly, parents or another respected adult were part of that experience. Here is a short YouTube video why nature based play is vital to early childhood education.



It is these hands-on experiences that nurture the PICC attributes. Time for children to explore and discover on their own lies at the heart of childhood. It nurtures children's artistic and creative capabilities, flexibility, intuition and their ability to internalise and to think outside the box.

Children who experience nature firsthand are far more likely to develop a joy for life and grow into caring adults. Our children today need opportunities to interact with nature in order to grow into the responsible leader of tomorrow. As a parent or teacher you can give them this time and model the enthusiasm, respect and care for our environment every time you are with your child.