Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle, an award-winning American actor, rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s

In addition, he played the lead in the movie Traitor, which was directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff who also directed the public service announcement (featuring Cheadle and five others) for the UN's global campaign to raise awareness on climate change. The campaign was titled 'Seal the Deal!'.

Summary / Synopsis
China’s Reforestation Programs: Big Success or Just an Illusion?
[Jon R. Luoma, 17/01/2012]
China’s Reforestation Programs: Big Success or Just an Illusion? Jon R. Luoma, a contributing editor at Audubon, has written about environmental and science topics for The New York Times, and for such magazines as National Geographic and Discover. In previous... Suite
Mountain forests under threat
[FAO, 09/12/2011]
Mountain forests under threat The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It was founded on 16 October 1945 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. In 1951 its... Suite
Appalachian Regional Restoration Initiative
[Don Cheadle, 04/02/2011]
Appalachian Regional Restoration Initiative Don Cheadle, an award-winning American actor, rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s In addition, he played the lead in the movie Traitor, which was directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff... Suite
Restoring our forests, the Mau Forests Complex, Kenya
[Wangari Maathai, 26/09/2011]
Restoring our forests, the Mau Forests Complex, Kenya @font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";... Suite
Li Bingbing : "Chinese forests: Our Lifeline for Sustained Prosperity"
[Li Bingbing, 02/05/2011]
Li Bingbing : "Chinese forests: Our Lifeline for Sustained Prosperity" Li Bingbing, one of China’s most popular actresses, is well known for her achievements both on and off the screen. Her latest movie is Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Throughout... Suite
Sachin Tendulkar : "it would be selfish of me to think though that I am the only one that needs trees."
[Sachin Tendulkar, 10/04/2011]
Sachin Tendulkar : "it would be selfish of me to think though that I am the only one that needs trees." Sachin Tendulkar - UNEP Goodwill Ambassador - is the first player to score fifty centuries in all international cricket. He is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the... Suite
Will intensified farming save the rainforests?
[Fred Pearce, New Scientist, 09/02/2011]
Will intensified farming save the rainforests? Fred Pearce is journalist specialized in the environment and development. He was born in the United Kingdom and studied geography in the University of Cambridge. His latest book is When the Rivers... Suite
Seing the forest through the trees
[Yann Arthus-Bertrand, 02/02/2011]
Seing the forest through the trees Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a famous photographer. He has always had a passion for the animal world and the natural environment. In 1991 he founded Altitude, the world’s first aerial photography agency... Suite
Russia is Burning
[Yevgenia Albats, 10/08/2010]
Russia is Burning Yevgenia Albats is Professor of Political Science at The Higher School of Economics and Editor of The New Times Magazine. Suite
What’s Killing the Great Forests of the American West?
[Jim Robbins, 15/03/2010]
What’s Killing the Great Forests of the American West? Jim Robbins is a veteran journalist based in Helena, Montana. He has written for the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and numerous other publications. His fifth book, The Forgotten Forest, about... Suite
Roads are ruining the rainforests
[William F. Laurance, New Scientist, 30/08/2009]
Roads are ruining the rainforests William F. Laurance is a biologist in the research department at The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama which studies tropical nature and its importance for human well-being. Its... Suite
Seeing REDD in the Amazon: a win for people, trees and climate
[Virgilio Viana, 15/03/2009]
Seeing REDD in the Amazon: a win for people, trees and climate Professor Virgílio Viana is one of Brazil’s leading experts on forestry, environment and sustainable development. He served as Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development and is... Suite
Oil companies ‘should withdraw’ as Peru ‘faces its Tiananmen’
[Survival, 08/06/2009]
Oil companies ‘should withdraw’ as Peru ‘faces its Tiananmen’ Survival is an international organization supporting tribal peoples worldwide, founded in 1969 after an article by Norman Lewis in the UK's Sunday Times which highlighted the massacres, land thefts... Suite
Focus on deforestation in the climate-energy negociations
[Olivier BOUYER, 31/12/2008]
Focus on deforestation in the climate-energy negociations Olivier BOUYER est Ingénieur du Génie Rural, des Eaux et Forêts. Il a participé à la conférence de Poznan (en 2008) avec la délégation française comme chargé de mission “effet de serre et forêt””... Suite
The Other Carbon Economy
[Vandana Shiva, Resurgence, 01/05/2008]
The Other Carbon Economy Vandana Shiva (India): Physicist, epistemologist, ecologist, and Indian feminist with a PhD in the philosophy of science. She founded “Navdanya,” an association which works to protect biodiversity... Suite
Forest destruction: The road to ruin
[William F. Laurance, 06/06/2007]
Forest destruction: The road to ruin William F. Laurance is a biologist in the research department at The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama which studies tropical nature and its importance for human well-being. Its... Suite
Look, no carbon footprint!
[Fred Pearce, New Scientist, 09/03/2007]
Look, no carbon footprint! Fred Pearce is journalist specialized in the environment and development. He was born in the United Kingdom and studied geography in the University of Cambridge. His latest book is When the Rivers... Suite
Forests in France
[Thierry Jaccaud, L'écologiste, 01/07/2007]
Forests in France Thierry Jaccaud is chief editor of the magazine L’Ecologiste (french version of The Ecologist) since its creation in 2000. He graduated with honors from the Higher Institute for Environmental... Suite
The ambiguous role that forests play in relation to climate
[Nathalie de NOBLET-DUCOUDRE, La Recherche, 01/12/2007]
The ambiguous role that forests play in relation to climate Nathalie de NOBLET-DUCOUDRE is a researcher at the LSCE (environment and climate sciences laboratory). She studies climate evolution, the role of man, and biogeochemical cycles which affect climate... Suite
Forest Services
[Lester Brown, Worldwatch Institute, 01/01/2007]
Forest Services Lester Russel Brown, famous author of more than 50 books on the environment and founder of the Worldwatch Institute in the United States, urges us to become more aware of the many services forests... Suite

Appalachian Regional Restoration Initiative

13/07/2011 3:51 pm

As a newly appointed UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, I am learning the ropes on the how’s and why’s our planet is under threat. The science behind the issues can be daunting but seems irrefutable as I see the change, in just my lifetime, to my own backyard, the cities I grew up in and the far flung places I visit.

In my work as an actor and humanitarian, I have seen the devastating impact of dwindling and scarce resources from Rwanda to Darfur. This year, off our shores in the US, we have experienced the most devastating oil spill in human history. I guess these experiences constitute why it is not a huge leap for me to envision the very real threats we face if we continue to diminish the planet’s resources faster than they can be replenished. The choice to conserve and live more mindfully is not some esoteric concept, but a selfish decision to not bite the proverbial hand that feeds us.

Though the impact of humankind on our environment is apparent everywhere, the one that stands out most for me, both in terms of the rate of its destruction and because of its myriad resources, is the forest. But the good news is that we have more information than ever on the wide-ranging value of forests, and beyond conservation, we are starting to restore and transform destroyed habitats back into viable ecosystems.

I was moved by one such story of revitalization in an area that is endowed with a wealth of natural resources but has long struggled with poverty. The Appalachian region of the eastern United States is home to some 23 million people, but the exploitation of its coal reserves has left a scarred and damaged landscape in an area whose forests support some of the highest biological diversity in the world’s temperate regions.

The Appalachian Regional Restoration Initiative (ARRI) was created in an effort to reforest active and abandoned mined lands. Since 2007, over 40 million trees have been planted on 87,000 acres across the Appalachian coal states by volunteers. The results generated by the initiative have resulted in a proposal to plant 125 million trees over the next five years, restoring forests on approximately 175,000 acres, creating more than 2,000 green jobs and sequestering 3-5 times more carbon than the current grasslands. In a region facing high unemployment and environmental degradation, ways of increasing local wealth and job opportunities while sustaining biodiversity and aiding the recovery of damaged ecosystems is invaluable.

UNEP hopes that this project will help achieve their Billion Tree Campaign’s goal to plant a tree for every one of the 320 million US citizens and to serve as a model for other high impact grassroots initiatives around the world. I, in turn, hope to help raise awareness both for the issues and for the successful projects that may inspire people to get better informed and to make their own contributions.

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La politique de l'extinction

par Don Cheadle

Extrait du livre « Des forêts et des hommes » rédigé par la rédaction de GoodPlanet à l'occasion de l'année internationale des forêts et disponible aux éditions de la Martinière.

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