In what is being hailed as the first telethon in the world devoted to protecting the climate, Denmark has already raised enough money to plant almost one million trees across the country.
The two-and-a-half-hour live benefit event “Denmark Plants Trees” was recently broadcasted on the public television channel TV2. Actors, philanthropists, sports icons, musicians, and politicians all participated in the event as it was captured from within the Gisselfeld Klosters Skove forest.
The event’s organizers planned to raise about 20 million Danish kroner ($2.67 million) to plant one million saplings; this equates to about 20 Danish kroner ($3) per tree. Although the event did fall slightly short of their goal, they raised enough money to plant 914,233 trees—and they are still accepting donations.
Furthermore, 20 percent of the money raised has already been set aside for preserving pre-existing Danish forests and protecting tropical rainforests abroad.
The telethon organizers at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation said that 600 hectares (1,482 acres) of national land have been identified for future tree-planting events.
Moreover, the Danish organization hopes the event will inspire other countries as well as media conglomerates to host similar fundraisers for fighting the climate crisis.
Sara Lom, the CEO of the UK-based charity Tree Council, said that she hopes to help orchestrate a telethon in her home nation, according to The Guardian.
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