A One-man mission for the environment

I recently had the privelege of meeting an extremely striking individual in Germany - his name is Hans Juergen Redeligx and practically no one knows him. He lives by himself on a farm not far away from Nuremberg in a rather remote part of a village. He probably meets one human being every week but then, he meets more birds and other beings than anyone else near him.

Why is this man remarkable? Unlike many of us who believe strongly in the environment but do nothing about it, Juergen just goes ahead and does his bit. And it isn't like he has been a farmer all his life. He worked internationally for a MNC, held high positions and is pretty 'normal' in all other ways. But he always wanted to do something for the environment and so, as soon as he retired from his hectic corporate life, that is exactly what he did.

Without any fanfare, but in a very effective and consequent manner, Juergen has been quietly doing something that's absolutely mind-boggling. In his plot of 20,000 square meters, he has planted 1,105 trees of 113 different varieties. These are saplings that he has carefully chosen from all over the world which can survive and flourish with the local soil and climate. Included are trees from the Himalayas, from Canada, from South America, and of course, there are the usual local trees.

Stunning? Yes, indeed, but more in imagination at present. It will be several years or even decades before that plot of land has some "trees" to look at - those trees do take their own time to grow. Juergen realizes that he may not be around to enjoy that view but that does not bother him one bit. He feels he owes it to Mother Earth and the future generations.

Juergen is not a member of any environment protection groups, he is not doing videos, he has not written a single word to publicize his work, and he probably never will be on the talk circuit. Which I think is very unfortunate, because he can talk well and his story could be the source of inspiration for many others.

The world needs more people like him - the doers, rather than the mere talkers. Please do inform others about this remarkable man - point them to this blog.

You would be doing that tiny bit for the environment.