Children initiative Plant-for-the-Planet: Founder Felix Finkbeiner (13 ...

Press release
Children initiative Plant-for-the-Planet:
Founder Felix Finkbeiner (13) travels to Africa to present the children’s
idea
• 4 week trip through Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Lesotho
• numerous children to be trained as Climate Justice Ambassadors
• meetings with ambassadors, NGO officials and representatives of other
institutions to spread enthusiasm for the Plant-for-the-Planet idea
Paehl, 9 th June 2011 – Felix Finkbeiner, founder of the children initiative Plant-for-the-
Planet, will be traveling through the African countries of Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa
and Lesotho for four weeks to inspire as many children as possible with his idea and
unite them in the fight against climate crisis. Together with his sisters, Franziska and
Flurina, Felix will train children to become Climate Justice Ambassadors during a
number of Plant-for-the-Planet Academy workshops. In addition, the children will carry
out planting events together. Felix will also meet with government officials,
representatives of NGOs and local celebrities to engage them in the fight against the
climate crisis.
Children worldwide unite in the fight for their future.
The trip to Africa will be Felix Finkbeiner’s first official act as World President of the children’s
council of Plant-for-the-Planet, a post he will be holding as of the 1 st of July 2011. He says:
“We want to inspire the children in Africa about our idea and motivate them to join our world
citizens’ initiative and accept responsibility for our future. We are planning to train between
3000 and 4000 children as Climate Justice Ambassadors within the four countries that we
will visit. The children will then bring the ideas to their schools, their families and friends.” In
addition, the children will plant season-appropriate trees together. Every one of those trees
will act as a carbon sink and a symbol for climate justice.
Africa – A continent of special significance
Not only do the children campaign for a total reduction of carbon emissions, they also lobby
for the fair distribution of those emissions between all people. They feel it is not fair, that
people in countries that suffer most severely from climate change are those who have
contributed the least to it: A US-citizen emits about 20t of carbon dioxide a year, a European
10t, a Chinese 4t and an African less than 0,5t.
With this background, the activities in Africa have a special significance: The participation of
African children in the Plant-for-the-Planet initiative adds extra emphasis to the demand of
climate justice and a global contract based on climate justice as a solution to the climate
crisis.
In addition to the academy workshops and meetings with politicians, embassy
representatives and celebrities, the children are planning special events to direct the public
attention towards the necessity of immediate action: In Tanzania, Felix and his sisters will
climb Mount Kilimanjaro to see the last ice in Africa. In Nairobi, Kenya, the children plan to
meet Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, who has been an important role model for Felix.

Furthermore, the children want to visit the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program). As
a member of the UNEP Children’s Board, Felix has inspired innumerable children with his
ideas and built the foundation for today’s international movement. In South Africa the
activities will be focusing on the upcoming world climate summit COP 17 in December in
Durban: As many children and adults as possible shall be motivated to join Plant-for-the-
Planet and develop communal activities. One of the plans already developed is to call onto
the politicians to plant trees together with the children, just like at the last climate summit in
Cancun, Mexico, where 193 heads of states planted trees together with the children with the
motto “Stop talking. Start planting.”. In Lesotho the children will empower children from all
over the country supported by the Embassy and the Royal House. For countries like Lesotho
– calling for defining ambitious quantified emission reductions on behalf of the Least
Economical Developed Countries in Cancun – climate crisis is a matter of survival.
About Plant-for-the-Planet:
The children initiative Plant-for-the-Planet was found in January 2007 and originated from a school project on
climate change by Felix Finkbeiner, then 9 years of age. In his project’s conclusion Felix developed the vision of
children planting one million trees in each country worldwide thus creating a countermeasure to global carbon
emissions. In the following years Plant-for-the-Planet grew into a global movement with currently about 100.000
children in over 100 countries engaged in the initiative.
They see themselves as global citizens campaigning for climate justice, which in their eyes includes a total
reduction of the emission of gases affecting the climate and the fair distribution of emission rights among all
people. In March 2011 Plant-for-the-Planet became a democratically organized society with a global board of
directors consisting of 14 children from eight nations. The global communications campaign themed “Stop talking.
Start planting.” was awarded a golden Social Effie for efficient communication in 2010. Plant-for-the-Planet is
supported by the Global Marshall Plan Foundation, the AVINA foundation, the Club of Rome and Leagas Delaney
Hamburg. Sponsors are Toyota, FedEx, Develey Senf & Feinkost, Hess Natur, L'Oréal Professionnel, Lehmann
Natur and Starmix which support the academy workshops training the children as climate ambassadors.
In Germany the goal of planting one million trees was met on the 4 th of May 2010, however, planting projects will
continue far beyond this goal.
An up-to-date travel journal including all relevant information for media
representatives will be published on the webpage.
For further information please consult our webpage at http://www.plant-for-theplanet.org/en/actions-and-events
Telephone availability
until 2.7.2011: Germany: Tel.: 0049 (0) 8808 9345 or 0049 (0) 178 8221824
16.7. - 24.7. 2011: South Africa: Tel.: 0027 (0) 719526195
Further numbers for Tanzania, Kenya and Lesotho will be updated here:
http://www.plant-for-the-planet.org/en/actions-and-events
PR contact:
Plant-for-the-Planet
Melanie Landau
Kreuzeckstrasse 2
82396 Paehl
Germany
Email: africa2011@plant-for-the-planet.org
Tel. ++49 (0) 8808 9345
Mob. ++49 (0) 178 8221824
Fax. ++49 (0) 8808 9346
Main Events and stops of the journey through four African countries

Trip itinerary Africa 2011
Tanzania 3 rd to 14 th of July 2011:
• 3 rd of July: Arrival in Dar es Salaam (afternoon)
• 4 th of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event in Dar es
Salaam / Zanzibar
• 5 th of July: Travel to Arusha
• 6 th of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event in Arusha,
press conference (optional)
• 7 th to 12 th of July: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to see the last ice in Africa
• 13 th July: Prospective departure to Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya 14 th to 15 th of July 2011:
• 13 th July: Prospective arrival in Nairobi
• 14 th of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event in Nyeri
• 15 th of July: Felix and Friends on visit in Korogocho
• 16 th of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event in Nairobi /
Departure for Johannesburg, South Africa (afternoon)
• In process: date and time still to be confirmed: Meeting with Nobel laureate Wangari
Maathai, Felix’ role model
• Date and time still to be confirmed: Meeting with UNEP representatives to discuss
future cooperation possibilities
South Africa 16 th to 20 th of July 2011, Johannesburg/ Pretoria:
• 16 th of July: Arrival in Johannesburg (night)
• 17 th of July: Stay in Johannesburg/ Pretoria
• 18 th of July: Supporting “Nelson Mandela Day” activities themed “Make a change” to
inspire people to become actively involved in making the world a better place for all
• 19 th of July: Stay in Johannesburg/ Pretoria
• 20 th of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event at the
German school in Johannesburg, departure for Durban in the evening
South Africa 16 th to 20 th of July 2011, Durban:
• 21 st of July: Felix gives a speech at the Arts Competition Climate Change event
• 22 nd of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event at the
Phoenix Education Centre
• 23 rd of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event at the
Botanical Garden Visitor’s Centre
• 24 th of July: Stay in Durban
• 25 th of July: Departure for Maseru, Lesotho
Lesotho 25 th to 27 th of July 2011
• 25 th of July: Arrival in Lesotho, Maseru
• 26 th of July: Plant-for-the-Planet academy workshop and planting event in Maseru
with children coming from schools all over Lesotho, organized by the ambassador
and the government of the Kingdom of Lesotho; invitation of the King, the ministers
and various celebrities; prospective press conference in the evening with Felix and
the children, announcement of scheduled activities and goals for the country of
Lesotho
• 27 th of July: Departure