This talk was a lot of fun and extremely inspiring. Natalie has achieved so much in her work as an outspoken advocate for animal rights and for female entrepreneurship. We talked about everything from saving street dogs in Sri Lanka, to wrestling undergarments off of orangutans in Borneo to Natalie being approached by multiple countries to assist in the protection of endangered species. She is an unbelievably humble woman and my conversation with her brought back memories of when I had the immense fortune of talking with Jane Goodall - they both radiate the same frequency of “we’re here to help save the planet and that’s what we’re going to do.”
This podcast was a real treat to record and you will enjoy listening to it.
Protecting animals at all cost
Natalie is an environmentalist, social entrepreneur and engaging public speaker. From an early age, she has been an outspoken advocate for animal rights and the environment. Whether this be street dogs in Sri Lanka, elephants the world over, orangutans in Borneo or foster animals in Australia, Natalie has put her magic and energy behind efforts trying to help protect and make life better for these animals.
Based on her incredible efforts, track record and success rate, Natalie has previously even been asked to help protect the endangered and very rare snow leopard. Her work, diligence and amazing brain have been commissioned by several world leaders to protect animal rights, including the Australian, Sri Lankan, Chinese and Russian governments, to name but a few.
One of her many brainchildren is the environmental awareness company My Green World. In her own words:
“My Green World is addressing global wildlife and environmental challenges through innovative, youth-focused education. Our programs seek to empower young people and inspire curiosity, worldwide.”
My Green World
For nearly the last decade, My Green World has been trying to raise awareness for endangered animals and the environment with a particular focus on animating the youth to become active advocates for the conservation of our planet’s diverse ecosystems.
My Green World’s two main products are:
Kids’ Corner - which is a virtual classroom-based application that aims to inspire children and educators to participate in environmental and wildlife conservation movements. It does this by making the sciences palatable with a range of curriculum-approved learning programs. It offers a whole range of educational resources for children, including workshop-based environmental programs, animation videos, fact sheets, infographics, reading materials, teachers-notes, games, and home activities. Since the Covid pandemic began early 2020, Natalie lifted the paywall, giving access to all kids for free.
World of the Wild - which is quite a unique game (currently in redevelopment) that allows kids the opportunity to participate and contribute to real-life conservation efforts, whilst playing a fun and interactive game. World of the Wild gamifies the concept of saving animals and allows players to rescue, rehabilitate and care for animals and habitats within the gaming world whilst simultaneously empowering real life conservation charities. Each single animal in the game represents a real-life charity (the app is linked to 18 real life charities!)
For all of her work in the environmental arena, Natalie has been awarded the Australian Medal of the Order (OAM) and has previously been included in Forbes magazine’s prestigious 30 under 30 list. She has received multiple awards for her work and still serves as Australian Director for the Sri Lankan wildlife awareness programme Dogstar Foundation as well as several other wildlife organisations. Her relentless passion for elephants resulted in the global ban of elephant rides by an Australian travel company.
Enjoy the podcast and please check out and support her work.
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Thank you very much.
Mauri Ora.
“It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert.”
The legend himself, Jacques Yves Cousteau.
The Word KUPU #6 - Natalie Kyriacou OAM