About us
Association Pour la Terre was established in 2001 as a French nonprofit association dedicated to the preservation and sustainability of the environment and its inhabitants. Pour la Terre is recognized by the French government as an official environmental organization and donations are tax deductible in France. Pour la Terre has the endorsements of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), Prince Albert II Foundation for the Environment, Earth Charter International, United Nations Association, United States Forest Service, National Park Service, ONF, Association of Mayors (France), and many regional governmental and private organizations.
Locally in the Cote d’Azur, Pour la Terre has been a leading organization in promoting clean air by limiting industrial incineration by regional cement companies and raising consciousness about the need for sustainable development.
Internationally, education of children and young people through music and musically related events relating to sustainable development has been our primary mission. UNESCO, in the course of its administration of the United Nations Decade of Education and Sustainable Development (2005 -2014), adopted the Earth Charter. Earth Charter International requested Pour la Terre to produce a CD of music for children and young people along with an accompanying school kit tied to each song and sustainable development in general. To that end, Pour la Terre amassed the support and participation of major international artists – from Santana, Mana, Yannick Noah, Youssou N’Dour and Raffi, to Maria Muldaur, Tokiko Kato, Buzy, Kitaro, the Doobie Brothers, Shana Morrison, Mickey3Dand Earth Mama. A comprehensive school kit was also prepared. The songs, each of which are tied to various Earth Charter principles (www.earthcharter.org) are available to children in over 7660 UNESCO education facilities in over 180 countries by secure .ftp download. The school kit and list of songs are freely available on UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development website. HTML clipboard(Click here)
Since 2008, Pour la Terre has focused on producing local and international tree planting events for children 6-12, and young people 15-18, under the name Tree for Peace, Tree for the Earth. In the United States (and eventually Canada) the program is named Kids4Trees and is operating currently in conjunction with the recognized nonprofit San Bernardino National Forest Association. The template for the events has proven popular and successful. Basically, the children/young people arrive in the morning either as a school class or as Scouts or other organizations on weekends. The participants are given basic orientation and instruction before proceeding to designated, often pre-prepared, spots within the planting area. The children then plant the trees/saplings, and enjoy touching the earth. By 11:30 the children return to the original meeting area for lunch and then environmentally-oriented music performed by local children’s singers. The group singing follows joining in songs from a specially prepared CD of tree songs that is freely distributed to the children, along with a specially prepared tree kit handed to participants after the planting. They then depart for their schools by 1 pm. The Scouts and other private organizations normally stay longer. Below is a video of our November, 2008 planting at Luceram, France with over 420 children which typifies our program.
This template has been successfully implemented by Pour la Terre near Nice, France in March and November 2008, and on February 7, 2009 with the International and French Scouts near Paris; from November 3-8 in the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles (app. 7400 trees planted), with the US Forest Service. In the spring of 2009 there will be plantings at Angeles National Forest (April 18-19 w/Scouts), Malibu area with National Park Service (April 20-22 w/1200 students), and the San Bernardino National Forest (April 23-29, with a free Arbor Day concert at Lake Arrowhead April 24).
In Europe there will be an Outward Bound tree planting on May 2 with the participation of HSH Prince Albert scheduled to participate. Pour la Terre produced a special CD for Outward Bound, with tree songs from the Stereophonics, Yannick Noah, and others. Currently in planning are tree plantings in Spain, in Corsica and in Coaraze this fall.
Pour la Terre welcomes inquiries regarding producing similar tree plantings in your area and any questions or suggestions you wish to submit. Email us at info@pourlaterre.org.
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