Coordinating the Environmental Message

I love to spread the message of protecting and respecting our planet!

Many of my friends do too and as you know, you can do more as a team than as an individual.

So, I continue to team up with people. If you want assistance in spreading your environmental message then feel free to contact me. I can connect you with people or even present your message, as I love public speaking.

One of the great persons I have teamed up with is Paul Coleman – Earthwalker (http://www.earthwalker.com/). Paul has been walking around this planet since 1990 and has covered over 46,000 kilometres through more than 40 nations.

Since meeting Paul on 20 Sep 2007 we have shared many ideas via the internet while he and his wife Konomi have been on their walk from Hong Kong to Beijing (Check out the journey via http://blog.myspace.com/earthwalker_paul_coleman). I was pleasantly surprised when one day Paul asked if I would be an advisor to him. I said of course and then I looked at his other advisors.
· Charlene Hewat: Executive Director of Environment Africa, Zimbabwe
· Tadashi Inamoto: President of Oak Village, Japan
· Chikashi Kinjo: Lawyer, Political/Peace Activist, Okinawa
· Avon Mattison: President of Pathways of Peace, United States
· Koichi Nakatani: Environmental Activist, Japan
· Akihiko Ozeki: President of Real Produce, Japan
· Jeunesse Park: CEO of Food and Trees for Africa, South Africa
· Kiyoshi Shikita: Chaiman of Earthday Tokyo, President of BeGood Cafe, Japan
· Genichiro Shiosaka: Member, Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly, Japan
· Paul Sihon: Musician, Composer, United States
· Charles Spencer: General Manager of Spencer Global Consulting, Chile
· Joan Walley, MP: Member of Parliament, United Kingdom
· Rob Wheeler: UN Representative of Global Eco Village Network, United States
· Zandra Valenzuela Delgado: Lawyer, Chile

Wow I thought, they look like superb people.

On Paul’s latest trip to Hong Kong I wanted to leverage his message while minimising the effort required on his behalf, to get the greatest exposure. Little did we know the story we would have to tell.

I called on my fellow environmental team mates and organisations to see what opportunities we could create for Paul.

One of the reasons for Paul’s return trip to Hong Kong was to receive an award from Supreme Master Television. Urania had been following Paul’s story since meeting Paul 4 months earlier at the event I helped organised at Life Café (http://www.lifecafe.com.hk/).

As a member of the Royal Geographic Society in Hong Kong (http://www.rgshk.org.hk/) I contacted Rupert, the Director, and they were very keen to have Paul speaking to their members. Great place and people for Paul to connect with.

I then re-connected with Andrew Dembina at RTHK Radio 3 (http://www.rthk.org.hk/channel/radio3/), he and Morning Brew host Phil Whelan were very keen to have an update on how the walk was going.

Superb. That was three different opportunities for Paul.

At the end of his presentation to RGS members and guests, Paul announced a major change in his plans to walk to Beijing. He told the audience that he could not continue as he could not get a visa to go back. The crowd was shocked. Offers to help came flooding in. Offers of contacts to discuss the situation with officials, media people to talk to, places to stay while stuck in Hong Kong and most importantly huge encouragement to continue.

Paul got some superb media coverage. The SCMP (South China Morning Post) did an article on how the red tape was stopping a major effort to help engage people into Greening the Olympics. RTHK Radio 3 had a live interview during the evening news.

While having Paul and Konomi to stay at our wonderful bush retreat Louise and I decided it was time to experience “earthwalking”.

So now we were very keen for Paul’s visa situation to be resolved. Which it was.

Thanks to everyone who helped Paul and Konomi get their visa and return to their walk.

We will be flying to Xuzhou (550km northwest of Shanghai) and walking from there north to Qufu (The home of Confucius), which is about 150 kilometres in a straight line (of course we will be walking further). We will probably flying back from Jinan.

Grow well
Dr Merrin