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All my life I have loved the earth and as a child I wanted to explore the world, which I have now been doing for the last thirty five years. At first I traveled in search of the planet's beauty during seven years at sea and then ten years as a chauffeur to the rich and famous, arranging the journeys of my employer, a friend of the British royal family, experiencing the finer things in life.

Along the way I discovered the magnificence of our home planet, and witnessed it's environmental destruction, over the years growing more and more concerned about the destruction of the great forests. Places like the Amazon. In the mist of vast wealth and great luxury my life began to fall apart...

I had everything on the one hand, yet nothing on the other. The earth that I loved was being destroyed and I didn't know what to do about it - after all, I left school at the age of fifteen and had no activism experience. Who would listen to me? Regardless, I decided to make the effort.   Read More

MAN OF THE FOREST
In the winter of 1993 I encapsulated mylife and environmental philosophy in 'Man Of The Forest' a poem I wrote in California, while living inside the trunk of a gigantic one thousand year old Redwood Tree.

1971-1977 MERCHANT NAVY

BORN: 1954 MANCHESTER ENGLAND GREW UP WHEN THE CITY WAS HEAVILY POLLUTED AS A CHILD HAD DREAMS OF EXPLORING THE AMAZON

1979-1989 CHAUFFEUR
 © 2007 earthwalker.com
 
T'CHINGS             


MAN OF THE FOREST

I am a man of the forest
A lover of trees
A smeller of flowers
An observer of life

Oft I sit in silence
Listening to the breeze
Flow through the woods
Over the hills and through the grass

Sometimes I fail to eat
Occasionally my spirit will fall
But not for long
Nature's beauty takes care of me

Every now and again
I will touch the mysteries of the universe
And be thankful regardless of pain
For the gift of vision

I am a man of the forest
A hugger of trees
A caresser of petals
A participator in life

Paul Coleman 1993
 

For several months lived alone, deep in the forest,
sleeping like a Hobbit inside the tree. In the evenings I would return to the tree and meditate. My meditations would begin by picturing myself journeying up through the trunk all the way to the top of the tree which was the tallest in the forest.
Once my spirit had risen in meditation I would open my eyes and it was as if I could see forever. These times, away with spirit to the universe beyond and within, I would be open to all possibilities and capable of recieving the messages that guide people on their path.
Meditating one night inside the tree, with the war in the Balkans on my mind, and wondering what on Earth I could do to help the people and their natural environment, I came to a momentous decision. I would walk.
Walk from San Francisco to Sarajevo, across the USA and then Europe, into the most horrendous war to hit Europe since 1945. In Sarajevo I would plant a tree on Earth Day, April 22nd 1995 and all along the way would spread the message that war is not only devastating to cities and their people, it also devastating to the natural environment that we all need to exist.
On April 22nd, after almost of a year of walking and while the city was still under siege and the bombs still dropping I planted the tree in Sarajevo.

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Profile Part 2


© 2006 Korean Federation of Environmental Movement

In 1988, I gave up my job and embarked on a mission to preserve the natural environment. Since that time, with a little help from a lot of friends, I`ve led expeditions to the Amazon, and walked more than 46,000 kilometers through 39 countries, speaking to millions of people, and planting of a lot of trees. In 1994, prior to my walk to Sarajevo, where I planted a tree in the middle of that cities three year siege, I was asked to become an Ambassador to the 'We The People's Initiative', a United Nation's Peace Messenger Initiative.

Since 2000 I have been on a ten year walking mission, planting trees wherever I go for people killed at war. Most recently I walked through China, Korea and Japan on The Earthday Friendship Walk with my wife, Konomi Kikuchi, the co-author of my book, `The Man Who Plants Trees, Paul Coleman, A 44000km Walk` which was recently published in Japan.


The Japanese Book

Thanks to the support of countless individuals around the planet I have been honoured by many nations and in 2004 was presented with the Hearts of Humanity Award. This was closely followed by being chosen as one of 100 Earth Lovers to represent the Earth at EXPO 2005

I`ve given over 3000 speaking engagements and recently narrated, for Sony Corporation, the movie 'Our Planet' which was produced for the premeiere of the world's largest movie screen at EXPO 2005.

Since 1994 I have been serving as Advisor and Ambassador to Pathways To Peace International Secretariat to the 'Culture of Peace' United Nations Peace Messenger Initiative.

As of September 24th, 2007, I now have the honorary position as Charity Ambassador to The Living Rainforest. a new breed of public education institution that is passionately committed to telling the story of humanity in nature. Visitors to The Living Rainforest visitors centre are immersed in real rainforest experiences that had me thinking that once again, I was back in the forests of the Amazon.

Currently I am in China with Konomi, on a ten month walk from Hong Kong To The Beijing Olympic Games, promoting a 'Green Olympics, spreading the environmental message and urging people to positive actions on behalf of the planet and its various life forms (including humanity). Following the Olympics we will journey to Patagonia, Chile, to build an environmental home.

Paul Coleman, Earthwalker

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