Illustration by The Globe and Mail/Tegan McMarti
Sarika Cullis-Suzuki’s passion for slowing down and leaving the Earth a little bit better than she found it is steeped into her life. Trained as a marine biologist and ocean conservation expert, her work has taken her around the world – to remote tropical islands, the UN headquarters and the coastal zones of British Columbia, where she lives.
It made sense that in 2023 when her father, world renowned environmentalist David Suzuki, retired as the long-time host of CBC’s The Nature of Things, Cullis-Suzuki would take the helm alongside science communicator and co-host Anthony Morgan.
In this instalment of Joy Diaries, Cullis-Suzuki explains why going analog and doing little things that make a big difference keeps her grounded, happy and hopeful.
What brings me joy is everything analog. I use an agenda to write down all the things that I need to do. It makes me feel more human. I could put it on my phone, but it brings me joy to write it down and do some doodles, and it’s some of the only time that I can be physically creative like that.
I have a land line – which is so retro – for my son to make his own play dates. I have this radio that I turn on and listen to every morning. I have intentionally surrounded myself with these things that are not online.
The Nature of Things is not just on TV. A lot of people are watching it on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. We are on those platforms, but it’s interesting because I am not. I’ve had directors and people in the film industry look at this and say, “You don’t exist.” But I’m standing right here.
The online world is a big part of what we do, but if you think about what The Nature of Things really is, it’s about connection. It’s about interacting with the Earth, with society, with each other. I am advocating for people to be in nature, to spend time with each other, doing the things that matter to them.
As human beings – and it’s most obvious when you’re a child – our natural state is curiosity. You want to experience the world with all of your senses.
During COVID-19, my kids and I would go out on the porch every morning and check on how this spider and her babies were doing. These moments are much more interesting than anything you’d find online. Or recently, my kid needed a baseball tee. Instead of buying one, he went through our recycling, made it himself and he was so proud of it. Things are more fulfilling when you make it yourself.
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I also try to do things that make the world better offline because it can be hard to take in so much negative global news. A feeling for those of us in the environmental movement is that we are not doing enough – that we need to do something that will change the world – and I think that can be a paralyzing feeling.
One of the counters that I have is very simple. When I feel totally hopeless, there’s nothing I can do, I will take my kids out and clean up some garbage. It’s so accessible and clear that I can point to it and say, “You have made a difference. Not on a global scale, but you have made this park a little cleaner.”
I’m doing that to teach my kids that they can make a difference, but fundamentally I’m reminding myself. It’s not changing the world, but it’s keeping things a bit more sane. These things are bringing me joy, because it reminds me that I’m able to do things, I’m able to take action.
And I’m not judging myself like I used to when I was younger, thinking that is a drop in the bucket. As I’m getting older, I’m realizing that my forms of resistance are going to be more effective on a local scale, and these are things that all of us can do. When there’s no time for excuses any more, small things in our communities absolutely do make a difference.
As told to Hannah Alper