By Melora McInnis
Oct. 9, 2014
Todd MacLean wasn’t sure if his idea for a book would work, until David Suzuki wrote back.
A well-known P.E.I. journalist, MacLean contacted hundreds of well known-experts, environmentalist and speakers for advice on how keep the planet healthy. He turned their responses into a book called Global Chorus, 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet.
The book was No.1 in the Amazon.ca environmental section almost a month before its release date of Oct.31.
“Nothing like this has been done before,” he said. “It wasn’t till that point I realized it could be possible.”
There’s a different response for each day of the year, all from well-known figures. His goal is to inspire and engage people to keep the Earth healthy and safe, MacLean said.
“It’s a book of daily guidance. I hope people all over the world can read this book.”
Proceeds from the book go towards the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, Canadian Red Cross and The David Suzuki Foundation.
He has been concerned about the global environment crisis and how humanity is handling it, so he decided something needed to be done. The idea for the project began in April 2010, MacLean said.
“I felt like I really needed to reach out to them and ask where we’re heading. I knew going into this that it would be a really tough uphill climb.”
He reached out to over a thousand people and received responses from people like Suzuki, physicist Stephen Hawking, spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, social rights activist Desmond Tutu, civil rights activist Maya Angelou and philanthropist Nelson Mandela to create an anthology of responses to the global warming crisis, MacLean said.
“It’s unbelievable, the power in these pieces. It’s such an inspirational read and I can’t wait for people to read it.”
It’s easy for people to forget about the state the Earth is in and his goal is to keep people inspired, he said.
“It’s easy to forget about issues and just brush it under the rug. It’s a powerful read.”
MacLean has already inspired others. One is P.E.I. writer Charlie G. Sark.
Sark wrote a poem about the environmental crisis. It’s the introduction to the book.
“Todd is inspirational. He changed my perspective on my writing.”
Sark and MacLean met at a reception prior to a speech given by Suzuki at UPEI.
“It was only a short few minutes and I just thought, this guy has something here very unique,” Sark said.
After Sark moved to Ottawa, he was sitting in a local café and found himself thinking about MacLean and his project.
“I just sat down at my computer and wrote that piece.”
It was his way of thanking MacLean for inspiring him, he said
“There’s possibility in us, there is hope for us to change for the better. We all have it in us to make a change.”
The Surveyor 