Climate Action

TREES FOR THE FUTURE PLEDGES 11.88 MILLION TREES FOR EARTH DAY 2011 IN AFRICA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bryan Buchanan

 Director, Earth Day 2011

+1-202-518-0044 x14

 [email protected]

March 10, 2011 WASHINGTON, DC – Earth Day Network announced today that its Billion Acts of Green® campaign counter clicked ahead by 11.88 million Acts with the addition of tree-planting pledges in Africa from its partner Trees for the Future. Trees for the Future and its 85 partners in 15 countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) have pledged to plant 11,880,000 trees through 2011, as part of Earth Day Network’s effort to collect one billion Acts of environmental service and advocacy before the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, aka Rio+20.  To date, over 66 million Acts have been recorded. “As we reach for our lofty goal of collecting a billion Acts of Green worldwide, great partners like Trees for the Future are critical to amplifying the voice of the movement,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network.  Rogers added that A Billion Acts of Green® aims to spur government leaders in Rio to action by showing them how strongly the world’s citizens care about sustainability. “Our local partners throughout Africa understand better than anyone the need to stop deforestation in their countries, and they are all thrilled to add their efforts to Earth Day Network’s global A Billion Acts of Green campaign,” says Ethan Budiansky, head of international programs for Trees for the Future.  TFTF’s partners include local governments and local and international non-profit organizations. About Earth Day Network Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement worldwide as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. We pursue our mission through a combination of education, public policy, and consumer activism campaigns.  The organization has a global reach, with a network of more than 22,000 partners and organizations in 192 countries. Earth Day Network is a 501(c)3 organization located in Washington, D.C. About Trees for the Future Since 1989, Trees for the Future (www.plant-trees.org) has been helping communities around the world plant trees. Through seed distribution, agro-forestry training, and our country programs, we have empowered rural groups to restore tree cover to their lands. The trees provide food, fodder, fuel, fertilizer, and medicine for the farmers as well as biodiversity for the landscape.