Re-air: Celebrating Earth Day 🌍

Summary

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The Ten News: Re-air—Celebrating Earth Day 🌍

Date: April 22, 2026
Host: Bethany Van Delft
Guest: Callie Broaddus (Founder, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust)

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Episode Overview

This special Earth Day episode of The Ten News celebrates our planet and empowers young listeners with real-world actions to support environmental protection. Host Bethany Van Delft explores the significance of Earth Day, interviews youth conservationist Callie Broaddus about her innovative organization Reserva, and shares practical tips for kids eager to make a difference. The show’s tone is upbeat, engaging, and always encouraging young listeners to take action.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is Earth Day?

• Origins and Scale
  • Earth Day began in 1970, started by two founders to draw attention to major environmental problems like oil spills and wildlife loss.
  • “The first earth day inspired 20 million Americans to come together, hold demonstrations, and demand more environmental protections.” — Bethany Van Delft [01:11]
  • Today, over 1 billion people in 190+ countries celebrate.
    • “How's that for Planet Power?” — Bethany Van Delft [01:36]
• This Year’s Theme
  • “Restore Our Earth,” focusing on natural processes, green technology, and rethinking humans’ role in ecosystem health.

2. Youth in Conservation: A Conversation with Callie Broaddus

• Meet Reserva: The Youth Land Trust
  • Founded in 2019 by Callie Broaddus, a former National Geographic kids’ book designer.
  • Mission: Connecting youth activism with real biodiversity conservation.
    • "We are in a major biodiversity collapse... nature cannot be left out of our actions right now." — Callie Broaddus [02:50]
  • Reserva’s flagship: Creating the world’s first entirely youth-funded nature reserve in Ecuador.
    • “When you donate $5, that money can protect 600 square feet of cloud forest habitat in Ecuador...your dollar is just going so far.” — Callie Broaddus [03:25]
• Action Beyond Donations: The Million Letters Campaign
  • Youth up to age 26 can write a letter about why they love nature and why governments should protect it.
  • Each letter triggers a $3 donation toward conservation.
    • “So instead we're, we're buying your letter in a way and putting that money directly toward conservation.” — Callie Broaddus [05:22]
  • Supports the global “30 by 30” goal: protecting at least 30% of the planet by 2030.

3. How Kids Can Make a Difference

• Advice from Callie Broaddus
  • "You are not alone. And you don't have to do it all by yourself... Pick the thing that you're best at and do it as well as you possibly can." — Callie Broaddus [06:14]
  • Example: Youth Council member in the UK turned his species-identification hobby into a local fundraiser—offering “bioblitz” services in neighbors’ backyards for donations to Reserva.
    • “Not only did he get to do something he enjoyed... he raised a few hundred dollars for the reserve.” — Bethany Van Delft [07:33]

4. New Ways To Take Action

• Run for the Rainforest Event
  • Launching on Earth Day; virtual 5K or 1-mile runs to raise awareness and funds.
  • Participants receive digital race bibs and medals, and are encouraged to share using #RunforthRainforest.
    • "I'm really hoping we can hit this of a thousand runners. And I hope everyone listening will be one of them." — Callie Broaddus [08:33]

5. Easy At-Home Environmental Actions

• Use less plastic, make reusable bags from old t-shirts (referencing a Nat Geo Kids tutorial).
  • “If you have an old T shirt around, you can make a reusable grocery bag out of it.” — Bethany Van Delft [09:25]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ecosystems:
  • “An ecosystem is a community made up of both living and non living things. Like a swamp or a forest, or some might even say your own neighborhood.” — Bethany Van Delft [00:45]
• On Conservation Impact:
  • “Your dollar is just going so far. And that tangible transaction... is not only really beneficial for the planet, but also for us as people. We need to feel like we can do something.” — Callie Broaddus [03:32]
• On Youth Power:
  • “You're never too young to play a big role in helping out.” — Bethany Van Delft [01:45]
• On Doing What You Love for the Earth:
  • “Play to your strengths. What is your strongest thing? ... How can we turn that into something that raises money for the environment?” — Callie Broaddus [06:27]

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Fun Earth Day Facts & Trivia Segment

• World’s Oldest Tree:
  • Trivia Question: How old is the world’s oldest tree?
    • Answer: Over 5,000 years old — a bristlecone pine in California. [10:47]
• Widest & Tallest Trees:
  • Widest: Montezuma cypress in Mexico (38ft across).
  • Tallest: Hyperion redwood in California (380ft high).
  • "I wonder if these trees are home to the oldest, widest, tallest squirrels in the world." — Bethany Van Delft [11:16]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:06 — Earth Day Introduction & Brief History
• 01:45–02:31 — Introduction to Callie Broaddus and Reserva
• 02:31–05:38 — How Reserva Began, Impact of Youth Actions, and the Million Letters Campaign
• 06:03–07:39 — Advice to Kids & Bioblitz Fundraising Story
• 08:00–08:47 — Announcing the “Run for the Rainforest” Event
• 09:24–11:16 — At-Home Actions & Earth Day Tree Trivia

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Takeaways For Kids and Families

• Earth Day is a chance for everyone—especially young people—to make a real impact.
• Youth can support conservation by donating, raising awareness, or joining campaigns like Million Letters.
• Fun, hands-on ways to help include upcycling old t-shirts and joining virtual activities.
• “You are not alone... just pick your thing and do your best!”
• Let your passion guide your environmental action—it counts!

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For More:

• Submit tips or questions to [e-mail]
• Check out Nat Geo Kids’ “How to Make a T-Shirt Tote” (link in show notes)
• Join “Run for the Rainforest” using #RunforthRainforest

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Happy Earth Day from The Ten News!

Transcript

[A]

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. From a little bit of history to a whole lot of activity. In the next 10 minutes, we'll get the lowdown on what's up with Earth Day. I'm Bethany Van Delft and this is the 10 News. April 22nd is Earth Day. You say it's your Earth Day. It's my Earth Day too. It's the annual event where people all over the world show their support for environmental protection. Go environmental protection. This year's theme, Restore Our Earth, is focused on natural processes, green technology, and new ways of thinking about how humans can help restore the planet's ecosystems. An ecosystem is a community made up of both living and non living things. Like a swamp or a forest, or some might even say your own neighborhood.

[B]

No way.

[A]

So why is Earth Day a big deal? Let's break it down by numbers. Earth day began 51 years ago when its two founders decided to do something to bring attention to big problems like oil spills, toxic waste dumps, and the loss of wildlife. The first earth day inspired 20 million Americans to come together, hold demonstrations, and demand more environmental protections.

[B]

Yes,

[A]

today, 1 billion people will celebrate Earth Day in more than 190 countries. How's that for Planet Power?

[B]

Excellent.

[A]

So how will you celebrate protecting the planet? Let us know in an email to [e-mail]. As we love to talk about, you're never too young to play a big role in helping out. Callie Broadus, the founder of Reserva, the Youth Land Trust, knows that better than anyone. She's created the first entirely youth funded nature reserve. How does it work? We talked to Callie to find out. Happy Earth Day, Callie. Yay. We're so happy to chat with you.

[C]

Thank you so much for joining us.

[A]

Let's start with what is Reserva and

[C]

what led you to found the organization?

[B]

Thank you. Happy Earth Day to you too. It's one of my favorite days of the year. So Reserva is an organization that I started in the fall of 2019. I had been at National Geographic for about seven years designing kids books and Reserva is an organization meant to bridge the gap between youth activism for the environment and tried and true methods of biodiversity conservation. We are in a major biodiversity collapse. One million species are at risk of extinction. 80% of the world's forests have either been destroyed or irreparably degraded. So nature is an it cannot be left out of our actions right now. So we started around this flagship project of creating the world's first entirely youth funded nature Reserve. And the great thing about conservation, especially the way that we're doing it, is that, you know, when you donate $5, that money can protect 600 square feet of cloud forest habitat in Ecuador. And if you've ever seen a rainforest tree or a cloud forest tree, those trees are like a hotel for animals and plants. I mean, your dollar is just going so far. And that tangible transaction, I think, is not only really beneficial for the planet, but also for us as people. We need to feel like we can do something.

[C]

This is just such a brilliant idea on so many levels. The teaching kids action and philanthropy and just really smart and useful, meaningful ways to use their money as well as, as you say, empowering them to. For their future. I do understand the power of the dollar and the power of donation and how putting money towards a situation like this is really a really big part of the answer.

[A]

But I also love that you offer

[C]

an option for so many kids who might not be able to, to spend that money. You know, write a letter, save the rainforest.

[B]

Absolutely. I kind of can't believe I haven't talked about it yet because it's like my favorite thing that we do. So this, this campaign, it's called the One Million Letters for Nature campaign, and it's supported by National Geographic Campaign for Nature. The goal is to. Is to get governments around the world to commit to protecting at least 30% of our planet by 2030. It's a very important benchmark on our way to protecting half of the Earth, which science tells us a lot of research has said very explicitly. This is what is needed. We need to save half of the planet in its natural state for us to have a prosperous future, basically. So the Million Letters campaign, as opposed to asking kids to donate or, you know, if they already have donated and just want to do more, it asks kids and Youth up to 26 to write a letter saying what you love about nature and describing why world governments need to commit to protecting our last wild places. And then they send us their letter and we commit to matching it with $3 toward the reserve. So it's kind of like a global lemonade stand in a way. You know, we would buy your lemonade if we. If we were seeing you in person. So instead we're, we're buying your letter in a way and putting that money directly toward conservation.

[A]

What would you say to a kid

[C]

who wants to make a big difference in, in problems like climate change and problems that are just so big and overwhelming?

[B]

Okay, well, the first thing I would say is you are not Alone. And you don't have to do it all by yourself. You, you don't have to be the best at every single aspect of, of solving a problem. You just have to pick the thing that you're best at, the thing that is your strength, and do it as well as you possibly can. So for example, we've got, I have, I have a youth council member who's based in the UK and he is incredible at identifying species that he's found in his backyard and around his country. And he has, at the age of 17, identified 3,700 species. Wow. And so we had this chat and said, play to your strengths. What is your, what's your strongest thing? It's identifying species. Well, how can we turn that into something that raises money for the environment? So what he wound up doing is going to his neighbors and saying, I would like to bioblitz your backyard. I'd like to go into your backyard, go through your garden, go through your brush, pile in the back and identify as many species as I possibly can. And then I'll give you a report. And if you're happy with it, make a donation for me to reserva to this, to this in my name.

[A]

That's amazing.

[B]

And so not only did he get to do something that he really enjoyed and that added to his species list and, you know, helps help secure his, his career moving forward as this really strong naturalist and was able to help his neighbors fall in love with what was in their backyard a little bit. And in return he's raised a few hundred dollars for the reserve.

[A]

Do you have any projects coming up that you're really excited about?

[B]

I'm really excited because we are launching a new event today. All month long you'll be able to run for the rainforest. You can run a 5K or a 1 mile dash or, or really just move your feet, anything. You don't need to participate in the race part of it. But on our website you can go and sign up. You'll get a race bib and, and a medal just directly into your email to print out and, and you can just go out, run your own route and make sure to share on social media the hashtag Runforth Rainforest. And we're trying to get a thousand runners. We've got a lot of people who are ready to share and starting to share today. And so I'm really hoping we can hit this of a thousand runners. And I hope everyone listening will be one of them.

[C]

I know we will over here. That is so much fun. And also we're not just having fun, we're doing something important. Thank you so much for joining us.

[A]

To hear a full interview with Kali and learn even more about the work of Reserva, check out this Saturday's episode of the 10 News Gets Extra. Okay, tenors, now we know that we can write letters to help save the rainforest and grab our sneakers to be part of the virtual race. But did you also know that there are things you could do right now in your house, like using less plastic?

[B]

What?

[A]

For example, if you have an old T shirt around, you can make a reusable grocery bag out of it. Thanks to our friends over at Nat Geo Kids, we learned how Check out their video Kids vs. How to Make a T shirt Tote and see how easy it is to make your own. The link to the video is in the show Notes. Have any other cool tips? Send us a Note@hello theten news.com and we'll share our favorites right here on the show. Cold Beans man. Up next, it's time for what What? Watch the Trivia on the 10 Earth Day may be 51 years old, but the planet is way older than that and so are a lot of the natural wonders on it. Can you guess how old the world's oldest tree is? Is it a 5000 years old, b 3000 years old, or c 1000 years old? Did you guess it? The answer is A. In 2013, researchers identified a bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California that was over 5,000 years old.

[B]

That's incredible.

[A]

While we're talking trees, would you believe get it would Would you believe that the world's widest tree is a Montezuma cypress in Mexico? That's a whopping 38ft across and the tallest tree ever logged, a coast redwood in Redwood national park called Hyperion, stands 380ft high. That's more than the length of a football field.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I wonder if these trees are home to the oldest, widest, tallest squirrels in the world. Time's up, but before we go, here's a quick note for the grown ups Want even more great content from the 10News? Sign up for the 10News Newsletter aka the 10News Newsletter. It's a free bi weekly email with even more stories to enjoy together and we made it easy for you. The link to join is in the Show Notes and on our website theten news.com thanks for listening to the 10 News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and extras on Saturdays. The 10News is a co production of small but mighty Media and Next Chapter podcasts and is distributed by iHeartradio. The production and editorial team is a big group of tree huggers including Tracy Crooks, Pete Musto, Ben Austin DeCampo, Jenner Pasqua, Stephen Tompkins, and Sarah Olender. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and the 10 News is executive produced by Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. Do you want to be part of this show? Have a grown up, help you record a question, a joke, or a fun fact you want to share and email it to us at. Hello the 10news.com don't forget to show your love for the 10News by going to your favorite podcast app and submitting a rating and a review. It really, really helps others find the show so they can join the fun too. I'm Bethany Van Delt and thanks for listening to the Ten News. Happy Earth Day to ya. Happy Earth Day to ya. Happy Earth.