What began as a simple school project for a nine-year-old boy in Germany has transformed into a worldwide movement aimed at restoring the planet’s forests. In 2007, Felix Finkbeiner planted a tree in his schoolyard, inspired by the work of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, who had led efforts to mobilize women to plant millions of trees.
Felix’s initial idea was straightforward yet ambitious: to encourage children everywhere to plant a million trees each. This humble proposal, made during a school assignment focused on climate change, sparked a global initiative that has since evolved significantly.
A Vision to Restore One Trillion Trees
Nearly two decades later, Felix’s vision has expanded into the Plant-for-the-Planet foundation, which now pursues a far-reaching goal: aiding the restoration of one trillion trees worldwide. This target is a collective objective, emphasizing global participation rather than the planting of every tree by the foundation alone.
Felix’s commitment to this cause took him to the United Nations General Assembly when he was just thirteen, marking an early milestone for the project’s international recognition. Today, he continues to spearhead the organization’s restoration and conservation efforts, working closely with its policy team to advance the mission.