Walking the earth for the environment
Inspire others to act
And who could doubt the answer of a man who since 1990 has walked more than 46,500 kilometers, through 39 nations planting trees, spreading the environmental message and inspiring people to actions that are for the good of humanity.
Because of his actions, thousands of people have supported and joined his efforts. Most notably, they are supporting his campaign to encourage the planting of 100,000,000 trees, one for every man, woman and child killed in the wars of the last century. To date, more than 11,300,000 have been planted.
Paul represents many organisations, is an Ambassador for the United Nations ‘Culture of Peace’ Messengers of Peace Initiative and serves as Charity Ambassador for the Living Rain Forest Exhibition at the UK-based institution.
Hong Kong to Beijing
On September 22, 2007, Britain’s Paul (52) and his Japanese wife, Konomi Kikuchi, started walking from Hong Kong to Beijing, joining China’s efforts to “green the Olympics.”
Walking to the Olympics, Paul meets many people and spreads the environmental message through tree planting activities. He has received considerable official support and is being followed by the Chinese and international media. Two First Days Motions have already been tabled in the British Houses of Parliament supporting this march and encouraging the next Olympic Games, to be held in London, to be as sustainable and “green” as possible.
games will be green
China won the Olympics on the premise that the games would be “green.” The Olympic Games are a monumental event for any nation and attract the attention of the world. China is undergoing massive change, and surely what happens in China will affect everyone.
Paul believes that China is a ‘connecting’ power and, for the good of humanity and the planet, China needs to develop sustainably. Furthermore, he believes that if China goes green, the world will be encouraged to go green.
Joining the Walk
When Louise Taylor and I joined Paul and Konomi with a supporter of theirs, Yuji Miyata, they had already walked 2,500 kilometers from Hong Kong to the northern floodplains of Jiangsu. This walk had taken them through cities large and small, through towns, villages, and communes. They have walked through rice paddies, along beaches, mountains, highways, through every kind of environment imaginable and unimaginable.
They have experienced China’s environment at its worst and best. They have seen water as black as a witch’s cauldron bubble and boil, and have drunk from crystal-clear streams. Those who have joined Paul and Konomi along the way have experienced and learned.
plant the seeds
The tree plantings have been treated with great sincerity and have taken place in very special places, including three World Heritage sites and a memorial to the victims of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. Other informal tree plantings include the first ever event to be hastily arranged when Paul and his wife arrived at a restaurant in the small town of Yabachoa, Guangdong.
There was a road construction crew at the restaurant, and when they found out about Paul’s mission and Konomi’s nationality, they suggested planting a Sino-Japanese friendship tree on the nearby site where the Japanese invasion force landed in 1937. Such occasions Spontaneous such as these are the essence of Paul’s work. Paul hopes to be a part of more spontaneous environmental events during the Olympics.
Achieving the Objectives
From the experience of walking with Paul and Konomi 180 kilometers over 10 days between Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province and Qufu, Shandong Province (we ended up at Confucius’ Tomb), Louise commented: “The local recycling of Glass, plastic, paper and metal were astonishingly visible, however sadly the haphazard and careless disposal of debris was also evident in many parts of our walk.”
For me, my last thought is “Set your goal and then take small steps to achieve it, which is what Earthwalker Paul Coleman does every day!”