Project One Tree: DiCaprio to Jackie Shroff to Coldplay, a Look at Prominent Green Activists

Deforestation is one of the major problems the world is facing today and is one of the major contributors to the climate crisis. To raise awareness, News18 Network, India’s largest news network, has launched ‘Project One Tree’, a movement aiming to mobilise every Indian to plant a tree as a measure against climate change. This marquee movement seeks to raise awareness about environmental conservation and foster collective action towards a greener, more sustainable future.

Big names from different walks of life have been speaking about the importance of planting trees. From attending tree planting events to sharing posts on social media, prominent personalities across the globe have been trying their best to spread awareness about the issue. Let’s take a look at the top Indian and global advocates for trees.

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of World Environment Day 2024 on June 5, launched the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. “I have appealed to all my countrymen, people of all the countries of the world, to plant a tree along with their mother or in her name. I am very happy to see the campaign of planting a tree,” Modi said on the Mann Ki Baat radio program.

Launching the initiative, PM Modi also planted a peepal tree at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi. “This morning, I planted a tree in line with our commitment to protecting Mother Nature and making sustainable lifestyle choices. I urge you all to also contribute to making our planet better,” he said.

“It would make you all very happy that in the last decade, India has undertaken numerous collective efforts which have led to increased forest cover across the nation. This is great for our quest towards sustainable development. It is also commendable how local communities have risen to the occasion and taken a lead in this,” he added.

The Prime Minister urged people to plant trees in their mothers’ names and share pictures online using #Plant4Mother.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been a strong advocate of protecting the environment. His foundation — Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation — works round-the-clock to spread awareness about the importance of planting trees.

A few days ago, the star shared a post on Instagram, urging everyone to protect the Philippines’ Masungi Georeserve.

In fact, in 2022, a new tree species was named after the Titanic star as a tribute to his anti-logging campaigning. The tree’s scientific name — Uvariopsis dicaprio — recognises the Hollywood actor’s work to prevent logging in the endangered Ebo forest in Cameroon where the only known specimen of the tree was found growing.

The Hollywood A-lister had campaigned on social media after Cameroon granted permission for logging in the pristine wildlife reserve in 2020. The concession was cancelled months later by Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, “surely partly due to his support”, the scientists at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens wrote in PeerJ online journal, referring to DiCaprio.

Al Gore

Former US Vice President Albert Arnold Gore Jr is known for his contributions towards the environment. He has been actively participating in events and programmes focused on a greener planet.

In one of his Instagram posts, he talked about his “earliest lessons on the environment”. “My earliest lessons on the environment were at my family farm. Learning about the fragile balance of life on this land inspired my work to protect it. This #EarthDay, let us appreciate the natural world around us and renew our commitment to safeguarding humanity’s only home.”

Gore, US vice president from 1993 to 2001, became known for climate change advocacy with his 2006 Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and its 2017 sequel, arguing the climate change struggle is a moral fight.

Co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his climate campaigning, he is chairman of Generation Investment Management, a London-headquartered firm focused on sustainable investments across both public and private markets, and on research.

Jackie Shroff

Whether it’s a red carpet event or casual outing, veteran actor Jackie Shroff is spotted with a plant, promoting his initiative ‘Ped Lagao Bhidu’.

The actor has cultivated a unique way of raising awareness about environmental issues — wearing a spider plant as an accessory or gifting one to the host at a social gathering. From public events to weddings and even movie premieres, where the who’s who of the film industry dress to impress, Shroff chooses to make a statement by carrying a plant with him.

He has said his aim is to spread awareness about the benefits of planting trees. “It is said, ‘boond boond se bane sagar’ (small efforts make a huge difference). Planting trees should be there in our DNA. So wherever I go, I take a plant to give it to the host. Some people take something else as gifts with them… Today, everyone has everything, but I believe this is more important,” news agency PTI quoted Shroff as saying last year.

Some keep the plants, some forget it, but for the 66-year-old, it’s the message that matters. “I tell them to keep it in the bedroom in a saucer. I explain to them why it is important. If the host keeps it, then good, more people will see it and that’s how the message will pass on,” he added.

For Shroff, it is important to make the current and the coming generations understand the need of preserving nature and resources. “It is better if we understand these things now. We don’t know how long we will live, but what will we leave for the coming generation? Barren land? We should address these things and ask people to plant trees to tackle global warming.”

Coldplay

Coldplay’s sustainability initiatives on their Music Of The Spheres World Tour have set benchmarks on reducing carbon footprint for other bands and artistes on tours. The band says it has managed to produce 59% less carbon emissions than their 2016-2017 stadium tour, exceeding the original target of 50% reduction. “They also revealed that after 9 million tickets sold so far, an impressive 7 million trees have already been planted as part of Coldplay’s commitment to plant a tree for every concertgoer attending the tour,” a media report said.

Dia Mirza

Indian actress and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza actively promotes tree planting and sustainable living. On the occasion of World Environment Day, she uploaded a video on Instagram urging her fans to combat desertification and protect the land.

Earlier this year, Dia Mirza pointed to the destruction of biodiversity in the urban spaces and trimming of trees for monsoon, urging the officials to ensure implementation of better practices.

“Each year, the months of April and May are particularly heartbreaking when one witnesses the destruction of biodiversity in our urban spaces. Trees are being ‘trimmed’ in preparation for the monsoon…The ‘trimming’ is unscientific, and horrific, because the entire canopy/shade is axed away by unfeeling, unthinking individuals. The country is reeling in an acute heatwave. The trees that offer us some respite with their shade in our cities are being cruelly cut,” she had said in an Instagram post.

Greta Thunberg

The list of global advocates for trees would be incomplete without mentioning Greta Thunberg. The Swedish environmental activist is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate change.

Her activism has inspired a global youth movement demanding stronger efforts to fight climate change since she began staging weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament starting in 2018. She has repeatedly been fined in Sweden and the U.K. for civil disobedience in connection with protests.

Thunberg and other climate protesters have accused fossil fuel companies of deliberately slowing the global energy transition to renewables in order to make more profit. They also oppose the UK government’s recent approval of drilling for oil in the North Sea, off the coast of Scotland.

Rakul Preet Singh

At their wedding, actor Rakul Preet Singh and producer Jackky Bhagnani planted a tree for each wedding guest invited. The actress also shared a video of the special moment on her Instagram handle.

Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar recently participated in a Bahawa tree plantation drive in the memory of his parents, Hari Om Bhatia and Aruna Bhatia.

“Planting trees is a way to give back to our planet and doing it in honour of my parents makes it even more special,” he said, emphasizing that this act serves as a tribute to their love and care. “It’s a tribute to their love and care and a promise to nurture and protect the environment for future generations,” he said.

The actor planted 200 Bahawa trees. According to a statement, the initiative, undertaken in collaboration with the BMC, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Tree Authority, and the Make Earth Green Again (MEGA) Foundation, marked a pivotal step in restoring Mumbai’s precious green cover, significantly impacted by Cyclone Taukte.