Dolly Parton urges people to be 'mindful' of how they're treating the planet

By GMA Team

Dolly Parton is opening up on why her home in Tennessee is so special to her and sharing a message on the importance of protecting the planet.

During a recent interview with National Geographic Travel's Amy Alipio, the award-winning singer, who hails from Sevierville, Tennessee, around the Great Smoky Mountains, described the Smokies as "one of those special places that God put here for us to enjoy."

"When I come here it’s a feeling like nothing else," she told the outlet. "It has grown, as all things must. But the Smokies will never lose their charm and their magic."

She helps to support the wildlife in the area through her Dollywood Foundation; her foundation is a sponsor for the American Eagle Foundation, a conversation organization for bald eagles and other birds.

The singer said she feels people need to be "more mindful" of how they are treating the planet.

"My hope for the environment, for all things living and all things good, just nature in general, [is] that we should pay more attention to how we're treating our mountains, how we're treating our world, how we're just treating everything," she said. "We're just mistreating Mother Nature. That's, like, being ugly to your mama, you know? That’s like being disrespectful, you know?"

"I really think we all need to pay closer attention to taking better care of the things that God gave us freely and that we’re so freely messing up," she continued. "We need to rethink that and do better."

She also expressed her "wish for the planet" during the interview.

"We should pay more attention – give more love and care to the planet," she urged. "We need to think more about the good things instead of ourselves and being our greedy thoughtful selves. We need to actually be more giving to Mother Nature and this planet and the good things. Because we’re not going to have it for long if we destroy it. We’re not going to get it back."