The “Green Heart Of Rome”, Climate Crusaders–Birhan Erkutlu and Tuğba Günal, The Climate Daily Reforestation Campaign!

ITALY’S VILLAGE FOR THE EARTH IN THE “GREEN HEART OF ROME”

Earth Day Italia annually hosts the 5-day celebration of World Earth Day in the green heart of Rome between the Pincio Terrace and the Villa Borghese Galoppatoio.

Known as the most iconic of all Italian Earth Day celebrations, Village for the Earth consists of over 600 events in collaboration with more than 200 organizations over the course of April 21-25. These unforgettable five days hold ample opportunities to indulge in entertainment, culture, sport, and environment, with a full schedule of celebrations, institutional meetings, forums, shows, and a village dedicated to children with playful and educational workshops. For more information, please check out the links in the Deeper Dive section of this story at theclimate.org/episodes, or visit: https://www.earthdayitalia.org/villaggio-per-la-terra/.

DEEPER DIVE:Earth Day Italia

CLIMATE CRUSADERS, BIRHAN ERKUTLU AND TUĞBA GÜNAL

CLIMATE CRUSADERS Birhan Erkutlu and Tuğba Günal moved into the forests of Antalya, Turkey to get away from it all. They wanted a natural, peaceful life free of capitalism, consumer culture, social media, the internet, even electricity. Fate had other plans. They settled into their humble mountain cottage, perfectly blended with its environment. Or so they thought. Five years after they had left Istanbul, they awoke to the brutal assault of noisy bulldozers and chainsaws. It turned out a hydroelectric power company was building eight large dams in the Valley. The couple’s reflex was to stand in front of the machines to stop the destruction. 

Why do Birhan and Tugba matter to us? Their resilience and their tenacity. They focused on stopping six of the eight dams, as these would be particularly damaging to the only water resource around. They made inventories to measure the ecological value of the Alakir Valley. They organized film events, conferences, street performances, and art exhibitions. Their message hit home with many. Before they knew it, they had thousands of social media followers, both in Turkey and abroad. It developed into what they call a ‘Sisterhood’ of people supporting nature. Together with the Sisterhood, they raised enough money and were able to start a legal process against the hydroelectric power company.

Tuğba and Birhan campaigned for five years. While the case was in court, the company cut down trees in front of their eyes, and kept the couple awake by using excavators at night. People even approached the couple with guns, telling them they would break their arms and legs. But the two refused to give in to fear. Their courage grew stronger.

Despite the hostile political culture, they lobbied successfully for the creation of a new protected area. After eight years of legal struggle and enduring threats, the court ruled in their favor. They managed to stop three of the six dams. And not only that; the Alakir Valley is now legally protected, 9.2 million hectares in total. No other construction can be carried out there.

DEEPER DIVE: Walking Water, To the Ends of the Earth, Alakir Valley, The Guardian

THE CLIMATE DAILY 50/100 REFORESTATION CAMPAIGN!

Remember how in January we at The Climate Daily launched our first ever Climate Champions Massive Tree Reforestation campaign? Well in honor of upcoming Earth Day 2023, we’re launching The Climate Champions 50/100 campaign! What’s a climate champion, you ask? A climate champion proves that a small group of people can make a massive impact on the planet in a short amount of time. How? Our company, The Climate, is partnering with over 30 international tree-planting organizations–ALONG WITH our climate champions– to re-plant, and regrow forests all over the world, by planting ten thousand trees at a time. 

Why? Because science says the best way to combat climate change is to restore nature. And the fastest way to restore nature is to plant and grow a trillion trees, and the fastest way to plant and grow a trillion trees is to replant and regrow forests. The fastest way to do that is to plant ten thousand trees at a time, And the fastest and most fun way to plant ten thousand trees at a time is to fundraise with friends, climate champions. So, we’re looking for folks to donate $50 or $100 one time, to help us plant 10,000 trees at a time, in one of seven regions around the planet. (Which our tree planting partners will do. They’re the tree-planting professionals.)

Please visit champions.theclimate.org/climate hyphen champions/50or100. Click on the donate button and join our team of climate champions today. Again, visit champions.theclimate.org/climate hyphen champions/50or100. Click on the donate button and join our team of climate champions today. And if you want to start your own team of climate champions, reach out to us at info@34.203.12.8. Well help you put together your own small group of climate champions to make a massive impact on the planet in a short amount of time. Wouldn’t it be great to be the change you want to see in the world? Go to champions.theclimate.org/climate hyphen champions/50or100and become part of something special. Become a climate champion.  Thank you!!

DEEPER DIVE: 50/100 Campaign, Trillion Tree Project