David Suzuki, the country’s most celebrated pioneer of the environment, recently turned 80 years old. He celebrated the milestone birthday with his series The Nature Of Things – a special episode of the show let viewers have an inside look at Suzuki’s life and career last week.
He told The Star about turning 80, “Well, I can’t avoid it, you’ve got to admit. It’s really funny, 50 was no big deal, (same with) 60, 70. But 80, you’ve got to realize, ‘My God, you really are old.’ There’s no getting away from it!”
He also told the news outlet, “My proudest achievement is my children who I feel are very decent Canadians and they’ve worked hard all their lives and they’re all environmentalists. I’m very, very proud of my children. In terms of recognition, I guess to me one of the most delightful and satisfying things was becoming a companion of the Order of Canada. I can’t imagine a higher honour from Canadians than that.”
Co-founding the David Suzuki Foundation back in 1990, he is a published author and broadcaster, as well as a Companion of the Order of Canada. His series The Nature Of Things is one of the most popular and longest-running shows for the CBC, first airing in 1960. It also earned Suzuki three Gemini Awards for hosting the show.
Suzuki is having a birthday party on Friday, April 8th at The Carlu in Toronto. His actual birthday was March 24th. You can wish Suzuki a happy birthday by using the hashtag #SuzukiAt80 on Twitter.
