The Blue Marble Project

It is one of the most famous pictures known, an image of our planet Earth taken on December 7, 1972 by the astronauts of Apollo 17 approximately 18,000 miles away on their voyage to the Moon.  Officially, it is known as NASA image AS17-148-22727, but we know it simply as "The Blue Marble".  It is absolutely beautiful:



The astronomer Carl Sagan described our planet as a "pale blue dot" when seen from a million miles away.  He went on to say, "That's home.  That's us.  On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives...There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.  To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

A few years ago, the writer and marine biologist, Wallace J. Nichols (I referred to his latest book, Blue Mind in my last post) stood outside the Simons IMAX Theatre at Boston's New England Aquarium before giving a lecture there.  As the crowd entered, Nichols handed each person a shiny blue marble.  When asked, "What's this for?' he answered simply, "You'll find out." 

Towards the end of his presentation, he told the audience, "Pull out the blue marble and hold it at arm's length in front of you and look at it.  That's what Earth looks like from a million miles away: a small, blue, fragile, watery dot.  Now, bring the marble close to your eye, and look at the light.  If that marble actually were made of seawater, it would contain trace amounts of virtually every element.  It would hold hundreds of millions of organisms - plankton, larvae, single-celled creatures - in that one spoonful."

"Now, think of someone you're grateful for.  Perhaps someone who loves the water, or is helping keep the planet's waters clean and safe and healthy.  Or just someone you are grateful to have in your life.  When was the last time you told them that you appreciate them, if ever?  Think of how good it would feel to you and to them if you randomly gave them this marble as a way of saying thank you.  It's such a simple thing, but we don't say it enough."

"Take this marble with you, and when you get the chance, give it to that person you thought of.  Tell them the story of what this marble represents - both our blue planet and your gratitude.  Ask them to pass the marble along to someone else.  It's a reminder to us all to be grateful, for each other and for our beautiful world."

And with that, the The Blue Marble Project began.  The rules are simple.  The marble has to be blue. And you have to pass it along and thank the person that you give it to, for what they do.  You may or may not have heard of the project, but don't be surprised if someone gives you a blue marble.  The movie director and underwater explorer, James Cameron has taken one to the deepest part of the ocean.  Other famous people, like the Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, Harrison Ford, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Susan Sarandon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and even the CEO of British Petroleum have held a blue marble in their hands as a result of this project. 

It is a beautiful way to express our gratitude, and an even more beautiful way to remember our planet.  As Nichols writes in his book, Blue Mind, "Each blue marble tells us that everything we do on this planet matters...There is an interdependency with the natural world that goes beyond ecosystems, biodiversity, or economic benefits."  In the end, we need each other.