Day: 11 March 2018

The Trillion Tree Campaign was officially launched in Monaco on Friday, March 9, at the Grimaldi Forum with the support and encouragement of Prince Albert.

Far from being a local project, the Trillion Tree Campaign, organised by the founders of Plant for the Planet and as part of the UN Environment Programme, has an ambitious target: to inspire millions of people across the world to plant trees in order to further the fight against climate change.

Originally the brainchild of 9-year-old Felix Finkbeiner, a young German schoolboy worried about the future of polar bears, the notion of enlisting young people worldwide to plant huge numbers of trees quickly took root. To date, 15,205,451,679 trees have been planted thanks to the initiative.

Prince Albert was first inspired by Felix, by then age 11, who was speaking at a conference about his passion. The two were then reunited on Friday in Monaco.

Felix is now 18, as inspired today as he was in 2007, and it was an emotional moment for both when a small gift was offered by Plant-for-the-Planet to Prince Albert: an olive tree that was planted in front of the Grimaldi Forum.

A new target was set from the Principality on Friday: one trillion trees to be planted across the world as a vital part of the fight against climate change.

According to the organisation, “If each of us plants 150 trees, we will reach 1,000 billion trees worldwide. There is still enough room for that many new trees. Those trees would absorb a quarter of the man-made CO2 emissions.”

A Plant-for-the-Planet Tree Card allows you to start your tree collection and grow a forest of your own, and every month, the Plant-for-the-Planet initiative will plant at least one tree for you.

“Stop talking. Start planting”, with photos of children holding their hand over the mouth of prominent community members, is a global campaign that promotes the association’s conviction that talking alone is not going to make a difference and that now is the time for action. People are encouraged to share the pictures with friends via Facebook.

Minister of State Serge Telle, represented by Minister of Social Affairs and Health Didier Gamerdinger, chose the occasion of International Women’s Day to honour Monaco’s female administrative staff with 20 years of seniority, as well as the new recruits of 2017.

This is a different approach by the administration, the Minister said in his speech, reaffirming the eminent place of the woman in modern society.

Minister Gamerdinger wanted to remind his guests of the leading role of women in the Public Service, adding: “You are a major component of the Administration, in every sense of the word. Some of you have already gained high responsibilities, and you, who have just entered the administration, can legitimately aspire to that, too.”

The exhibition celebrating 70 years of the Monaco Red Cross (MRC) closed its doors last Saturday, March 3, the anniversary day of the founding of the Red Cross in the Principality in March, 1948.

Prince Albert was welcomed on arrival by the members of the Executive Committee of the CRM, as well as members of the Board of Directors.

Also present were Patrice Cellario, Minister of the Interior, and Stephane Valeri, President of the National Council. A hundred volunteers from the CRM had also been invited to the closing of the exhibition, which traced the highlights of the Monaco Red Cross, highlighting its commitment to its principles and the work of successive presidents, employees and volunteers of the association.

An anniversary stamp has also been published to provide a reminder of the times in office of the four presidents of the MRC who succeeded each other from 1948.

After a long visit, the Sovereign Prince left a message in the guestbook to show his enthusiasm on discovering the photos and videos presented. Prince Albert also congratulated the teams of the Monaco Red Cross and the scenographers for creating the commemorative exhibition.

A new event is about to make its debut in the Principality. PhotoMonaco promises to be an international fair with an emphasis on artistic photography and collectibles.

Renaud Siegmann, the event’s director, is known for his inspired take on contemporary creation over the last 30 years. He curated the Marrakech Art Fair in 2010 and 2011, and steered the Monaco Art Fair as its executive director in 2016.

Under the High Patronage of Prince Albert, PhotoMonaco will be a new platform with an aim to trigger original encounters between the public and images, and for this first edition, Mr Siegmann has chosen to promote photographic moments under the theme of “Le Temps du Regard”.

“PhotoMonaco is special because it offers an experience of the photographic moment. This is not yet another fair focusing solely on the commercial aspect,” Mr Siegmann said.

“I see our fair as a significant step towards defending images but also publishing, measured against extremely rigorous standards. For example, at every edition of PhotoMonaco, I intend to present a large collection of photographs, whether historic, modern or contemporary, to bring a qualitative tempo to the event.”

PhotoMonaco will be open to the public at Exhibition Hall, Quai Albert 1er, from Friday, April 6, until Sunday, April 8, from 1 pm to 7 pm. Admission is free.

The mayor and members of the Communal Council have announced that a subscription will be open until March 31, 2018, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of His Serene Highness the Sovereign Prince.

According to the wish of Prince Albert, who will turn 60 on March 14, the sums collected will be donated to one or more entities that will be designated when the time comes.

The subscription is open to Monegasques, their spouses and their children, and residents. For practical reasons, payment methods are organised as follows: The mayor will send a letter to Monegasques, accompanied by a form, to allow them to pay their contribution to the Town Council.

Residents wishing to mark their commitment to Prince Albert by a donation on the occasion of is birthday, may do so either by:
– cheque payable to “Treasury General of Finance–60th Anniversary of HSH Prince Albert II”, addressed to the General Treasury of Finances, at the Prince’s Palace.
– transfer to the Trésorerie Générale des Finances” account “60th anniversary of SAS Le Prince Albert II” No. 30004 09170 00040602413–76, BNP Paribas Bank.

READ ALSO

Prince Albert to visit Burkina Faso, aquatic centre to be inaugurated