Dolly Parton Says Mistreating The Earth Is Like ‘Being Ugly To Your Mama’

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If there’s one person who could save us from ourselves, it’s probably Dolly Parton. The legendary singer/songwriter/actor/philanthropist/novelist/goddess is also quite the philosopher, and has a way of seeing the world that somehow makes everything clear.

Take, for example, the very complicated and geopolitical matter of climate change. Just ahead of Earth Day, the Tennessee native sat down with National Geographic to chat about her love of the Great Smoky Mountains she grew up surrounded by, calling her home state “one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

Parton is putting her money where her mouth is, too. The American Eagle Foundation, a nonprofit organization that rescues, rehabilitates, and educates the public about eagles, owls, vultures, and other birds of prey, counts Dollywood—Parton’s iconic theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee—among its largest sponsors, and operates a bald eagle sanctuary from the park. Through her partnerships as well as her own actions, Parton hopes to encourage others to feel the same sense of stewardship over not just the places they live, but the world at large.

As Amy Alipio writes for National Geographic:

Respecting the music, the land, the people—all that lies at the heart of Parton’s hopes for the future. Parton is unafraid to stomp her glittery heel when it comes to caring for the environment—her message is clear and she is increasingly amplifying it wherever she travels. How can she be wrong?

“We should pay more attention. We’re just mistreating Mother Nature—that’s like being ugly to your mama,” Parton says. “We need to take better care of the things that God gave us freely. And that we’re so freely messing up.”

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We don’t deserve Dolly!

(Via National Geographic)

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