Why Blue Dot?
A Note From Our Founder, Lindsay Levin
Dear friends,
When astrophysicist Carl Sagan first saw images of our solar system taken by the Voyager 1 space probe in 1990 he described the Earth as appearing like “a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
Sagan later wrote—
“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.”
“Pale Blue Dot” taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 Space Probe
I have been fascinated by stories about our place in the universe since childhood, finding comfort in how tiny we are and just how magnificent everything around us is.
This sense of wonder has shaped my life. From backpacking at every opportunity in my teens and twenties, to an early career in business, to founding Leaders’ Quest in 2001, where I worked with an awesome team to seek out people who are shaping the world around them, often in the toughest of circumstances.
Many things stood out – from the tenacity of countless ‘invisible giants’ who are building a brighter future, to the damage we humans are doing to the Earth.
These experiences inspired us to team up with TED and a small band of visionaries in 2019 to create TED Countdown – a global initiative to accelerate and amplify solutions to the climate crisis.
At the end of 2022, I decided it was time for me to take a step back from Leaders’ Quest and hand over day-to-day leadership to two brilliant colleagues, Jayma Pau and Melanie Jamieson. I’ve spent the time since focused on Countdown, and helping the wider TED organization with its strategy and impact.
And now it’s time for ‘what next.’
When I founded Leaders’ Quest, I described it as my last start-up. But that was wrong. The last one (I think) is Blue Dot.
It’s a Collective – a core team eager to tap into many wonderful relationships forged over the years (including deep partnerships with both LQ and TED), and amplify the strengths of people and organizations who are doing great work. To model the kind of radical collaboration that we need much more of.
Blue Dot brings together people I love, lessons we’ve learned, ideas that matter, and a restless energy to, in Sagan’s words, “build a kinder world on the only home we have.”
–Lindsay Levin
December 2023