The International Year of Forests starring Greenpeace

by Eleonora Anello

Let’s return the to Greenpeace’s orangutans. This time visiting schools across Italy. The environmental organization has just recently launched the campaign "Kids for Forest” to educate new generations to respect the forests.

The children aged from 6 to 12 may participate in a competition by submitting short stories and original musics in favour of "green lungs". Irene Grandi, singer and godmother of the initiative, will evaluate the songs and the best could be sung just by her, along with the “Piccolo Coro Mariele Ventre dell'Antoniano”. The song of the forest will still be in the next Zecchino d'Oro’s compilation.

The most beautiful stories, however, will be selected by the writer Elisabetta Gnone that turn them into a small e-book downloadable online. Moreover the baby writers are expected to participate in an episode of the television Geo&Geo, dedicated to forests.

To another testimonial to assist the Greenpeace’s campaign, the actress Barbara Tabita, has been given the task of presenting the initiative in some schools in Rome.

The first step of the project will involve the primary schools in 20 cities. The organizers have also thought about the children not participating in the competition along with their class. You can buy it directly online “Un’avventura con Tango” (An adventure with Tango), board game printed on recycled paper that is based on the classic Game of goose and starring Tango, a baby orangutan.

The mascot will accompany the players in an entertaining journey through the last green lungs of the planet. Rolling the dice and jump from one box to another, the children learn to recognize the people in danger of extinction and the function of these endangered habitats. In this way, they will learn that to save the forest, use it in a fair, with responsible behaviour by putting in place that provide for recycling, the elimination of unnecessary over-consumption, preferring FSC-certified products. This concepts are not complicated but simple habits that it is better to learn from an early age, even better if it through the game, having fun with friends.

The Greenpeace’s project is not by chance saw the light at the UN International Year dedicated to the forests and fought against their disappearance by means of non-conventional and prioritizing recreational aspect. Will be the kids able to bring Tango back to Indonesia?