The Man Who Planted Trees

Twenty years ago Chelsea Green published the first trade edition of The Man Who Planted Trees, a timeless eco-fable about what one person can do to restore the earth. The hero of the story, Elzéard Bouffier, spent his life planting one hundred acorns a day in a desolate, barren section of Provence in the south of France. The result was a total transformation of the landscape-from one devoid of life, with miserable, contentious inhabitants, to one filled with the scent of flowers, the songs of birds, and fresh, flowing water.

Since our first publication, the book has sold over a quarter of a million copies and inspired countless numbers of people around the world to take action and plant trees. On National Arbor Day, April 29, 2005, Chelsea Green is releasing a special twentieth anniversary edition with a new foreword by Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the African Green Belt Movement.

The Man Who Planted Trees CD
Paul Winter consort

We have joined the Paul Winter Consort in the release of a CD version of the acclaimed audio of the story by Jean Giono. The original music was composed and is performed by the Paul Winter consort, and the text is narrated by Robert J. Lurtsema, host of "Morning Pro Musica."

---

Wangari Maathai is the founder of the Green Belt Movement and the first woman to earn a doctorate in biology in East Africa. A recipient of numerous awards for her work on environmental and social issues, she was elected to Parliament by an overwhelming majority in 2003 and is currently the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Wildlife, and Natural Resources in the new democratically elected Kenyan government. In 2004, she was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. She lives in Nairobi, Kenya.Photo by Martin Rowe.

Andy Lipkis began planting trees to rehabilitate smog and fire damaged areas when he was 15 years old. He founded TreePeople and has served as President since 1973. TreePeople has been an international guiding light for the Citizen Forestry movement. Andy's programs include airlifting bare-root fruit trees to Africa, inspiring the planting of one million trees in L.A. before the 1984 Summer Olympics, and numerous disaster relief efforts during flood and fire. A recent program is T.R.E.E.S.—Transagency Resources for Environmental and Economic Sustainability. T.R.E.E.S. demonstrates the feasibility and facilitates the implementation of integrated urban ecosystem management to increase the health and sustainability of our cities.