Published 19 January 2020 ● Last Updated on 15 June 2021
It’s been 4 months since we started our Readers’ Corner – a regular feature where eco warriors from Singapore share with us a book on sustainability that inspires them. These are books that have stayed with them much after the pages have finished, with the hope that these books will give us new perspectives and insights into top environmental issues.
So, whether you are a bookworm or not, we are collating a reading list for 2020 to help you become more eco conscious! (PS: This list already has a 3 book headstart!)
Our eco warrior this month is someone who believes in the power of visual storytelling, meet Jacqui Hocking – a documentary filmmaker and Founder of the SG Eco Film Festival as well as CEO, Vision Strategy Storytelling. Hocking began her career by collecting data on global solutions for climate change with a UN Global Climate Expedition, a journey that made her realise that the solutions are available but the stories need to be told better! Her must read book suggestion is A Passionate Life – an autobiography by the Australian activist Dr. Helen Caldicott that highlights her personal journey in the fight for nuclear disarmament, a book that has left a lasting impact on Hocking.
In Conversation With Jacqui Hocking:
SG | Tell us a bit about yourself and your work.
JH | I’m a documentary filmmaker and CEO of a B Corp certified storytelling company based here in Singapore. I want to be remembered for being on the forefront of pushing business to become the solution for the world’s problems and not the cause!
SG | Can you recommend a book – fiction or nonfiction – which centres around our planet or our environment – that you love, or are inspired by?
JH | I love A Passionate Life which is the biography of Dr Helen Caldicott (born 1938) a prominent Australian activist.
SG | Your version of what the back cover should read to convince everyone to pick it up right away!
JH | Read about the powerful female environmentalist you’ve never heard of ! She founded the “Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament” and the book tells the FULL story of her life including her sacrifices on her personal life (her husband leaving her) and her relentless commitment to the environment.
SG | When did you first read this book? Do share one or few lines from the book that strike a chord with you.
JH | I read it while sailing on a UN expedition for climate change.
“My prescription for action to save the planet is: Love, learn, live, and legislate.”
“I’ve seen so many people die unfulfilled. And those who’ve dedicated their lives to great causes of service to the environment and to the human race have died totally fulfilled.”
“As a physician, I see the earth as a patient in the intensive care unit. We have an acute clinical crisis on our hands and must take urgent action.”
SG | If you were the author of this book, is there anything that you would have done differently?
JH | I think there’s a lot more she could have delved into to share on a personal note — does she regret anything? What advice does she have for my generation that are following in her footsteps?
SG| If you could change the title of the book, it would be called ___________________
JH | “A Woman’s Guide To Finding & USING your Voice to Demand Action”
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