The book, titled Consider Us, has been endorsed and signed by Christiana Figueres, executive secretary for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Kumi Naidoo, executive head of Greenpeace, minister Trevor Manuel, South African Minister in the Presidency for National Planning Commission, Fundisile Mketeni, deputy director-general: biodiversity and conservation, and Paul Clements-Hunt, head of the United Nations Environmental Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), among others.


On Wednesday, 7 December, the Consider Us book will be installed, together with samples of today’s air and water, at Durban’s Botanical Gardens together with a special message:

a bit of water
bit of air
a book made up
of children’s prayers

a better world
is all they ask
so we present you
with this task

care for the planet
do your best
in 20 years
again we’ll test

cleaner water
cleaner air
we need your help
to get us there.


The book will be encapsulated in glass together with air and water samples for 20 years when they will be compared with air and water at that time to see if the kids’ messages have been heeded. The installation will also be marked by a special artwork by Nicci Fourie, which features a line of metal cut-out children linking hands in the shape of a cochlea to illustrate that children must be heard.

A ceremony to commemorate the installation of the book and the artwork takes place at 13:00 on Wednesday, 7 December in the Botanical Gardens, Durban.

Zolani, lead singer with the hugely popular South African band, Freshlyground, is also singing it for the children. She’s recently re-recorded, together with a youth choir, a special version of the smash hit Doo be doo. You can hear the new song and see the video of the recording on You Tube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6OJWmgecfw

On Thursday, 8 December in the Botanical Gardens, Durban, Freshlyground is giving a special concert. Decorating the stage will be several Consider Us globes, which have been specially made in papier-maché and painted by all the kids visiting – and demonstrating at - COP 17.

The Consider Us campaign was conceived by ZOOM Advertising and Ogilvy Earth and for COP 17, the Wildlands Conservation Trust was a key partner (together with sponsors Bonitas Medical Fund and Rand Merchant Bank), which brought the children together to have their voice heard. Other costs for the Consider Us campaign in Durban were sponsored by PEP; the art installation is sponsored by SAPPI.

Visit the Consider Us Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ConsiderUs