Articles

The following are some articles translated from german newspapers. You can see the original (german) article, if you click on the "original article"-link.

 

Wochenblatt Extra, February 13th 2002

A second ZIVI joins Trees-team

Since January 22nd 2002, there is a further increase in the team of Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World at the parent tree nursery in Ondangwa/Namibia.
Johannes Hachmann, a 19 year old ZIVI, was chosen out of several hundred applicants as well as his colleague Timo Schuerg, who has been working since Sept. 2001 with the international environment project.
Both young men support together with four local workers the present Project Manager, Martina Kuetter. The engagemant of the ZIVIs is very effective, a fact that also Armin Haberl, a senior forest councillor in Upper Bavaria, had noticed during his visit in Ondangwa on which he reported (ref. to his report: Green Hope for Ovambo Country).

More information under www.baeume.de

Foto:
Timo Schuerg (left), a ZIVI (conscientious objector doing social work instead of military service) at the parent tree nursery of Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World in Ondangwa/Namibia, together with festively clad children

Original article with picture

 

Münchner Merkur, Weilheimer Tagblatt, September 29/30 2001

Reggae should not be too high-pitched

A breeze from Africa drifted yesterday through exhibition hall 8 for a while. Baccardi feeling and vacation mood were there, as Kim Azas and his band ALAFIA played in favour of Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World. Kim Azas, a teacher from Benin and his musicians, coming from another five African countries gripped obviously the visitors of the exhibition hall 8 and the initiatior of Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World, Gottfried Brenner, as well as the member of the committee Dr. Eva Brehm and several exhibitors of the next stands. Ms. Brehm had got to know the musicians in Munich and they agreed to play at the exhibition. Kim Azas had never been in Weilheim but unfortunately he could not see much of the town: only the train station and a bit of the town during the short taxi drive to the exhibition site.
The only dissonance during the concert aroused in the reaction of some stand neighbours; they complained about the sound intensity: the management intervened and Mr. Brenner had to make turn down the volume control. But in spite of that, it was still there: the Baccardi-feeling.

Original article with picture

 

Süddeutsche Zeitung, Wochenblatt Extra, September 26th 2001

African Reggae at the Oberland - exhibition

The international environment organization BAEUME fuer MENSCHEN - TREES for THE WORLD will begin its presentation at this year's exhibition ORLA with a concert of the African Reggae-band ALAFIA.
On Friday, 28th of September 01, the opening day of the ORLA, the top band of Kim Azas plays from 12 o'clock onwards. Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World is going to present for the first time its reforestation project on an exhibition. The organization started its activities in Namibia where there exists meanwhile a network of tree nurseries consisting of a parent tree nursery and affiliate local nurseries.
The visitors of the Orla (Oberland Exhibition) may look forward to a special titbit: Kim Azar's band ALAFIA will open the exhibition at the stand of Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World with vital African Rhythms and African Reggae. Since 1992 the band has been working in Germany and they have been guest players at many international festivals, finding always the right sound for their public. In order to support the engagement of Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World the artists have changed spontaneously their dates. Sponsor of their performance is the Friedrich-Ebert-foundation/Bayernforum.
A photo documentation will show the development of the project beginning with the first planting success via the establishment of local tree nurseries until to the building up of lodgings for foresters. The model of a LogoForest, which was presented for the first time at the world exhibition EXPO 2000 in Hannover can be seen at the stand of the environment organization in the exhibition hall 8. Among other guests the author and singer Michael Holm is envisaged. There will be a raffle for 5 tree sponsorships in favour of the arboretum of the parent tree nursery in Namibia executed for people interested in the environment.
The environment organization Baeume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World commits itself with great success to the sustainability of forests, the green lungs of the world. The first parent tree nursery was founded in the deforestated North-West of Namibia; there exists now a network of local nurseries, which are cared for by local people. A further parent tree nusery will be founded still in this year in the kingdom of Lesotho in the South of Africa.

Foto:
At the opening day of the ORLA, Friday, September 28th 2001, the top band ALAFIA will play African Rhythms in exhibion hall 8.

Original article with picture

 

Süddeutsche Zeitung, 25th January 2001

Sponsorships in the Savannah

Saara (left), 10 years old, and her friend of the Herros - elementary school in Ondangwa/Namibia are busy as gardeners. They participate the environment project "Bäume fuer Menschen - Trees for the World" initiated by Gottfried Brenner, a citizen of the Upper Bavarian town Weilheim. The children plant seedlings and take care of their trees. Thus they learn how to handle the natural resources of their country and forward their knowledge to their parents and relatives. For further information to this project refer to +49 881/8001.

Original article with picture

 

Information on Forests of the Bavarian Forestry Administration FORSTINFO, Bayerische Staatsforstverwaltung, November 2000

Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World

The secretary of State Josef Miller takes over the patronage

For the action "tree-patronages" successfully initiated by Gottfried Brenner, who founded the environment organisation "Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World", the Bavarian Secretary of State Josef Miller was won as a patron.
In the parent tree nursery in Ondangwa/Namibia, an "Arboretum" a kind of instructive park with a variety of trees is going to be planted. Everyone who cares for the preservation of the forests of the world can acquire a sponsorship for one or more of the around 3000 trees, which are going to be planted in the next months. All sponsors receive for Euro 50,- a certificate with a photo of their sponsored tree and a description of the species of the tree planted in their name. Further information is given under www.baeume.de or under phone +49 881/8001.
The action brings back to the local people in Ondangwa a piece of their own history. The site on which the parent tree nursery of the organisation Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World is located, was once a lush forest, before the trees had been cut to serve as fire wood or for the building of their homes; then the deforestation of a huge area took to its course. Now for the arboretum, which will get its place in the midst of the city of Ondangwa, mainly local species of trees will be planted and cared for. The arboretum will serve as a meeting point and will be the green island in the town.

Original article with picture

 

Münchner Merkur 13th Oct. 2000

A king impressed

Project of Gottfried Brenner on the EXPO

Weilheim/Hannover (jvr) - The visitors of the world exposition in Hannover are very interested in the concept of a "LOGOFOREST", designed by Gottfired Brenner, a citizen of Weilheim, a small town in Upper Bavaria. Mr. Brenner, as already reported several times wants to connect the reforestation of cut down forests with a promotional sponsoring: the logos of the sponsoring companies, which emerge through the gaps within the planted forests, should be visible even from the space. Thousands of people view the model-forest on the Expo tailor-made by Munich design-sstudents.
The model is presented at the stand of the kingdom Lesotho in the African pavilion. Letsie III, king of Lesotho has been very impressed by this model. In a press release of the organization Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World he is said to have confirmed that forests and reforestation would be of essential importance for his kingdom and he would vividly promote this project. During the Day of Nation of Lesotho and other theme days with reference to forests , Mr. Brenner came into intensive contact with other ambassadors of African states - among others Malawi, Mocambique, Madagaskar - who are also very interested in the LOGOFOREST. There have already been offered some sites for reforestation.

Original article with picture

 

Starnberger SZ October 2000

Miller supports Brenner

Secretary of State becomes patron for the environment initiative

Weilheim A project by "Bäume fär Menschen - Trees for the World" with which the Weilheim citizen Gottfried Brenner wants to contribute to the reforestaton in Namibia, has found a prominent patron: the Bavarian Agriculture and Forest Secretary of State Josef Miller wants to support the action. "I estimate the idea to build up an instructive forest path, an arboretum, funded by tree sponsorships as a very good matter" said Miller and immediately reserved for himself two trees.
In Ondangwa, in the drought stricken North of Namibia, an arboretum is at present coming to existence to inform the population about the importance of trees and forests. Approximately 3000 trees financed by donations will be planted: for 50 DM a sponsorship can be adopted for a tree. The sponsors get a document with photo and a description of their tree.
The study group "Lifestyle/One World" of the agenda of Herrsching compares the domains accommodation, meals, clothing, working and mobility between German and Namibian families.
Brenner's initiative is represented on the EXPO in Hanover, in hall 12, at the stand of the South African state Lesotho. There the environment organization Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World exhibits the project LOGOFOREST: on a big, reforestated woodland, a gigantic company logo appears, which even could be seen from an aeroplane. Mr. Brenner hopes to win big companies as sponsors for his afforestation action. Information on "Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World" are found in the internet under www.baeume.de.

Original article with picture

 

Nordwest Zeitung, 25th May 2000


Trees contra poverty and wasteland

A German founds a helping project for Namibia - Tree-sponsorships for reforestation.

Overexploitation leads to desertification, poverty and hunger. By tree nurseries and instruction on environment, forests should grow again in Namibia and poverty should be relieved.

By Gabriele Hintze

Ondangwa/Namibia. The people is poor, the earth is scarce. Especially in in the North West of the African country Namibia (Ovamboland) the vegetation shows oneself in a poor condition. Cutting and overgrazing have made disappear almost all of the forest. Water ressources become scarce, grazing land disappears.
In the midst of this wasteland a "green island" - a tree nursery - catches your eye. It is the so called parent tree nursery of the international environment organization "Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World" founded by the German Gottfried Brenner, a citizen of the small Upper Bavarian town Weilheim. In the wake of two journeys to Namibia, where Brenner became aware of the ecological problems of the country, he decided to act. Since 1994 he has been developping his project "Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World" which should be counteractive to the desertification of the country. For the pilot phase between 1998 and 2001, Mr. Brenner has estimated costs of about 2 million DM, which should be raised by commercial, public and private donations.

"Help to self-help"

Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World wants to give a "modern" help to developing countries, i.e. in the first place "help to self-help" . The goal is the reforestation in the North of Namibia, the stabilizing of the water resources, the prevention of further erosion and the improvement of the economic situation of the poor population. To reach that goal the parent tree nursery in Ondangwa was inaugurated. During the rainy period a German forester and local workers were sowing 30000 seeds of fruit and timber trees. The seedlings are growing under a shadow net which has an extension of 360qm. After two years the small trees are transferred to local subsidiary nurseries, which are to being created all over the country.
The population of the Ondangwa area has gratefully accepted this initiative, that combines the protection of the environment with the strengthening of the regional economy. After yearlong exhausting the soil the planting of trees is "in" again. Gottfried Brenner says he is confident, that in some years the parent nursery will be cared for by locals only and that it will be selfsufficient. At the moment people learn how to handle their basic living conditions related to wood effectively.
The first 15000 of the 30000 seedlings planted a year ago are showing meanwhile their soft green sprouts. Some are more than 30cm high and can soon be transferred.
On the site of the parent nursery of Ondangwa workers of the organization are currently building up an instructive park. It will serve as training center and meeting point.

Sponsorship certificate

Everybody can acquire a certificate by sponsoring the planting of a tree. For DM 50,- a plaque with the name of the donor is fixed at the tree and the donors gets a certificate with the photo of "their" trees. All who are interested in spending and getting a certificate may address to "Bäume für Menschen - Trees for the World" Rathausplatz 6, 82362 Weilheim.
For further information refer to www.baeume.de.

Original article with picture

 

©Margarita Öhm, August 2000