The youth of South Africa are invited to make their pledge to reduce the impacts of climate change in the lead up to the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) that South Africa will host at the end of November. This is a time when world leaders will meet again to try to reach a fair and binding agreement on carbon reductions. Carbon is the common term used for the greenhouse gases that are causing the trapping of excess heat that is impacting so dramatically on our climate, already wreaking increasing havoc across the planet and that will so severely limit the quality of life of us all into the future.

This weekend, Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) and Pick n Pay will be calling on party goers at Rocking the Daisies in the Cape to make their climate action pledges, on leaves that will be tied to a large African wire tree. These pledges can be as simple as switching off and unplugging to eating more local food, or speaking out and letting friends, neighbours, companies, government and world leaders know that we need serious climate change action, now!

FTFA will record the pledges of party goers in keeping with the theme of Rocking the Daisies which is “Party Hard – Tread Lightly” and the fact that this festival has been offsetting their carbon footprint through the planting of trees for poor communities with FTFA every year since inception. Indeed the organizers are two time recipients of the Climate Change Leadership small business awards. The festival provides FTFA with a platform to reach the younger generation and to educate them on how to make the difference that they are seeking to make.  The FTFA green team will be on hand discuss issues pertaining to the environment and the global challenges that society faces.

The 50 day count day countdown to COP 17 starts on Sunday 9 October. With such a short time remaining to alert South Africans and the world to the importance of this historic occasion FTFA and Pick n Pay hope that this Climatetree will create great awareness at the festival and in the media. The idea is to get as many pledges as possible in the lead up to COP17 as the Climatetree travels across the country to Durban, where these hopes and commitments from the future leaders of South Africa will be presented.

So visit Pick n Pay and FTFA’s Climatetree at Rocking the Daisies this weekend and make your pledge to a lower carbon future for all!