SAN FRANCISCO, April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 45^th anniversary of Earth Day, celebrity activist and spoken word artist Prince Ea launched his newest online video entitled "Dear Future Generations: Sorry" to motivate individuals to take immediate action to stop climate change by Standing for Trees.

Prince Ea was inspired to produce the video by the Stand for Trees campaign, an innovative new way for individuals to take real and effective action to protect threatened forests and help mitigate global climate change, all with the press of a button on their smart phones.

"We owe children a better future than the one we're giving them now," said Prince Ea, who visited two Stand for Trees project sites developed by Wildlife Works in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. "This isn't just about saving trees, it's about doing what's right for billions of people around the world affected by climate change, as well as taking back the future of generations who will be affected by the actions we take today."

Prince Ea, an online sensation, has more more than 1.3 million Facebook followers and YouTube videos with over 12 million views. In this latest video, he apologizes to future generations for the destruction that has been wrought on the world. He is encouraging everyone to stand up and take action now.

That action cannot come soon enough. A forest the size of New York City vanishes every 48 hours. As such, protecting forests represents one of the best and most effective ways to reduce emissions and slow the most catastrophic effects of climate change. Cutting down one tree in the Congo is estimated to release 18 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere, that represents more than three times the annual emissions of an average car.

"It is time for us to stop waiting on others to address climate change and to take action ourselves," said Karin Burns, Executive Director of Code REDD, the environmental NGO behind Stand for Trees. "If we protect threatened forests by making them more valuable alive than dead, we have a chance to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change on our planet."

Each $10 Stand for Trees Certificate purchased through the site prevents one metric tonne of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere, while simultaneously protecting critical forest habitats that sustain communities and endangered species.  Proceeds fund development and aid efforts within Stand for Trees projects, providing thousands of jobs, access to clean water and food security, and funds for building schools and protecting wildlife habitats.

"People are frustrated that countless meetings among governments have done little to prevent climate change," said actor Edward Norton, a U.N. goodwill ambassador for biodiversity. "Stand for Trees can be a game-changer by harnessing the power of crowd-funding to protect forests, the air we breathe, and the climate that sustains us." 

Prince Ea's "Dear Future Generations: Sorry" debuted on April 20 via social media. To learn more and to see Prince Ea's latest release, please visit StandforTrees.org.

About Stand for Trees
Stand for Trees is a first of its kind consumer campaign that uses the power of social media and crowd-funding to enable everyone to take real and effective action to reduce deforestation and curb climate change. Through an innovative mobile web solution, individuals can now purchase 'Stand For Trees Certificates' – high quality, REDD+ verified carbon credits – to help communities protect endangered forests and wildlife by supporting sustainable livelihoods. The campaign was founded by Code REDD and supported by the United States Agency for International Development and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

About Prince Ea
Born and raised on the North Side of St. Louis Missouri, Prince Ea has a sound unlike most artists. Possessing a great song writing ability and stage presence, he combines both creative and thought-provoking songs that neatly tie-in humor, wit, passion, and hard-hitting punch lines. Along with Prince Ea's internet success, he has also been featured in both national and local publications including Huffington Post, CBS, FOX and Yahoo Music. VIBE Magazine declared him Vibe Verses Grand Champion and he was also featured in DISCOVER magazine for his academically provocative single "The Brain," where he was dubbed "The King of brainy hip-hop." Since then he has released several extremely popular spoken words that have been featured nationwide in various publications and talk shows including the Queen Latifah Show and the Blaze with Glenn Beck.

Video - http://youtu.be/eRLJscAlk1M

SOURCE Code REDD

Related Links

http://www.coderedd.org