adminhit the road from Harare to Mutare – a 270km journey – one is tempted to think what is reminded of William Blake. Imagine what the famous English poet and painter who lived between 1757 and 1827 would have said to citizens of this country who stand accused of punishing the same environment that gives them life through the wanton destruction of trees, among other forms of injustices they have inflicted on nature.
It will, however, not be far-fetched to suggest that the Briton could have uttered these words: Redeem yourself men and women of Zimbabwe by supporting the 500 Million Trees Walk organised by FOTE.
In one of his famous quotations, Blake had this to say: “The tree, which moves some to tears of joy, is in the eyes of others, only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the men of imagination, nature is imagination itself.”
Here, Blake projected an interesting dichotomy whereby on one hand you have enemies of the environment that despise nature and have made it their business to fight it using every weapon in their armoury. On the other hand, you have friends of the environment who are too few and far in between. The rest are indifferent to this important issue.
No one could have begrudged him for saying that. What with the sorry sight that Zimbabwe’s forests have become due to years and years of reckless tree cutting by its alternative energy-starved citizens.
Combined with the damage suffered by forests worldwide, not to mention various other forms of environmental degradation polluting the universe, global warming has become a reality that people can only ignore at their own peril.
For Zimbabwe, whose level of industrialisation could still be said to be in its infancy after being undermined by sanctions among other things, the best thing its people could do is not to lobby global corporations to cut their carbon output. This can be done in part by substituting natural refrigerants such as hydrocarbons and ammonia, like what is happening in the developed world. Zimbabwe simply does not have the capacity and influence to do so.
For now, the best Zimbabweans could do is to influence that which is within their control. The starting point is to identify cheaper alternative sources of energy in order to put a stop to the wanton cutting down of trees while at the same time aggressively embarking on reforestation countrywide.
The first known walkathon was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1953 by the most famous and influential actor/comedian in the history of Puerto Rico, Ramon Rivero, better known as Diplo. He walked
80 miles (from the capital city of San Juan to Ponce, on the other side of the island, to raise money for the Liga Puertorriqueña Contra el Cáncer (the Puerto Rican League Against Cancer).
In that walkathon, RamÃ’n Rivero raised the equivalent of US$85 000 in four days.
The walkathon turned into a historical event that became part of the collective consciousness of Puerto Ricans all over the world. This has been copied several times since, including in 2009, when the
“League” in memory of the first event, did a “Diplo Returns to San Juan” walkathon, raising almost US$200 000.
In the United States it was held in 1968 by the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation. Called the “International Walk for Development”, the walkathon drew over 3 000 walkers, who followed a 33-mile route through the streets of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota.
About 650 walkers finished the entire route. The walkathon organisers were Harvey Silver and a former priest named Jack. On a stopover in England when returning from the Peace Corp, they saw adults participating in sponsored walks to raise money for causes. Together with Bob Schumacher, who provided the initial public relations support, the first walkathons were held in the US, primarily with children walking, rather than adults.
On May 8, 1970, the largest nationally co-ordinated walkathon to date saw over 150 000 American walkers on several dozen routes throughout the nation walk over two million miles, raising over US$1,2 million to fight hunger.
These “Walks for Development” were co-ordinated by the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation. The largest May 8 walk was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with an estimated 20 000 walkers on a 31-mile route. Other large marches that day were in Indianapolis, Eugene and Philadelphia.
The concept immediately caught on with other groups, and many organisations soon adopted walkathons for fund raising.
Given this history, Zimbabweans have a chance to make a date with history today. Don’t be found on the wrong side of history: Join the 500 Million Tree Walk!
The enemies of the environment have been on the prowl, destroying nature in every form. Judging by what has happened to the environment over the years they seem to be succeeding in shooting themselves in the foot by stealing from the future. Perhaps the fairest assessment is to look at the impact of their actions.
Take, for instance, global warming, which has been increasing the average temperature on earth’s surface.
Since the late 1800s, the global average temperature has increased by about 0,7 to 1,4 degrees F (0,4 to 0,8 degrees C). Many experts estimate that the average temperature will rise an additional 2,5 to 10,4 degrees F (1,4 to 5,8 degrees C) by 2100.
Scientists are concerned that human societies and natural ecosystems might not adapt to rapid climate change, hence the advent of the Kyoto Protocol to help limit the damage to the environment.
But like always, it takes good men and women to do nothing for evil to prevail.
Those who have been indifferent to the cause cannot continue to hide their heads in sand, ostrich-style, pretending all is well. It is not. The time to act is now!
About FOTE
FOTE comprises like-minded organisations – from the corporate world, government, non-governmental organisations and individuals – that came together in 2010 to support the idea of reforestation through a non-profit-making Trust Fund. The organisation works with the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe, along with other environmental organisations, with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management.
- E-mail: [email protected]; Tel: 04-791372
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