The PRINCE'S RAINFORESTS PROJECT LAUNCHES RAINFOREST SOS: PRP Teams Up with Leading Organizations and Well-known Faces to Send Out the World’s Biggest SOS for the Rainforests
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September 30, 2009 – The Prince's Rainforests Project (PRP) is launching their Rainforest SOS campaign today in an effort to send the world's biggest SOS on behalf of the rainforests before the international climate change meetings held by the UN in Copenhagen this December.
The PRP will kick off the campaign with a video message from Sting urging people to send their Rainforest SOS message to the world. Sting's support of the campaign coincides with the 30th anniversary of The Police's "Message in a Bottle." In celebration, the PRP will release a special video compilation of the "Message in a Bottle" song, featuring footage of PRP supporters sending personalized SOS messages and images of the rainforests – both alive and destroyed.
"Thirty years ago, I wrote 'Message in a Bottle.' Today, I'm joining forces with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and many others supporting The Prince's Rainforests Project to send an SOS to the world. Sending your SOS is easy, and can help create the climate for change. If there is one thing you do today, make it this," said Sting.
Building on the success of the public awareness phase of the project launched this May, which has seen over 4.2 million views of the campaign frog film, the PRP is now asking people across the globe to send a Rainforest SOS message from its website, http://www.rainforestsos.org.
The Rainforest SOS message takes the form of the supporter's name and an optional short message to show their support for emergency action for the rainforests. These messages will demonstrate the level of public support for action to be taken to stop rainforest destruction, as well as display the growing awareness of deforestation's link to climate change. Such a message is vital ahead of global climate change negotiations in Copenhagen this December.
Many of the world's biggest online portals and well-known brands are coming together to support the PRP's Rainforest SOS campaign. Partners will be sending information about the campaign and the sign up request through their customer and employee channels via dedicated homepages, email signatures, customer communications, website content and donated banner space.
The launch of the Rainforest SOS campaign will for the first time see organizations from all sectors join together to support this vitally important cause. From media leaders such as Turner AOL, Yahoo, Google, MySpace, Facebook, Treehugger and Greenopolis to leading companies including Boeing, Virgin, Dell, and McDonald's to NGOs such as Conservation International, NRDC and The Rainforest Action Network – these organizations are all uniting to help send the biggest SOS for the rainforests.
In addition to receiving substantial support from members of the general public, NGOs, and the business community, key well known faces ranging from Harrison Ford to the Dalai Lama are also rallying behind the PRP's efforts. The PRP's most recent supporters include Trudie Styler, Vivienne Westwood, Scooby Doo, and Rod Stewart, who have all recorded messages and added their voices to the cause. A video mash-up featuring PRP supporters from all of these key communities will also be released today to show the groundswell of support around the world for PRP and its efforts.
This level of support reflects a growing understanding that rainforests are critical for our survival as they regulate rainfall, preserve biodiversity and, most importantly, store vast amounts of carbon. Tropical deforestation is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions. The burning of the rainforests produces more carbon emissions per year than the entire global transport sector. Without tackling this problem it will be impossible to avoid catastrophic climate change.
In a recent video message, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales said: "Rainforests are utterly essential in our fight against climate change. They absorb nearly a fifth of all our carbon emissions and yet they are being destroyed at the rate of a football pitch every four seconds. To solve the problem, we have to find ways to ensure the trees become more valuable alive than dead so there is no incentive to cut them down."
The Prince's Rainforest SOS campaign will culminate at a major rainforest event to be hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales in November. This event will include political leaders, NGO directors and top decision-makers from the business community. A representation of those who have signed up during the campaign will be given to the assembled group and will also be included in a special edition of a book of rainforest photographs to be given to world leaders before Copenhagen. The photographs were taken by the renowned photographer Daniel Beltra, who was this year's winner of the PRP Award at the Sony World Photography Awards.
To sign up in support of urgent action to end rainforest destruction and send a SOS message on behalf of the rainforests, visit http://www.rainforestSOS.org.
About The Prince's Rainforests Project
The Prince's Rainforests Project (PRP) was established in October 2007 by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to develop consensus as to how the rate of rainforest destruction might be slowed. Rainforests regulate rainfall, preserve biodiversity and, most importantly, store vast amounts of carbon. Tropical deforestation is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions and without tackling this problem it may be impossible to avoid catastrophic climate change. The PRP is working with governments, international businesses and non-profit organisations to find a solution.
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