Action Resources

International Action Guide

PDF Action Guide with ideas for organizing local communities and tree planting campaigns.

International Edition Streaming, Downloading and DVDs

Go to our Vimeo page to stream or download the multi-language international editions of Taking Root.
Find information here on the multi-language international edition DVDs.

International Action Partners

On this web page you can find additional resources.

Green Belt Movement In Action

Before Wangari died, she expressed interest in changing the name of the Civic and Environmental Education seminars. She felt so strongly that these seminars were the basis for understanding a community’s problems and the solutions to those problems, and that after taking the 3-4 day seminar participants would have a completely different motivation to plant trees.

And of course, she was right! She knew that participants became empowered by the workshop, so she wanted the word “empowerment” to be a part of the new name. So, Civic and Environmental Education seminars came to be called Community Empowerment and Education seminars (CEE).

The pages on the GBM website under What We Do (Tree Planting and Watersheds, Climate Change, Mainstream Advocacy, and Gender Livelihood and Advocacy) are all programs that are documented in the film Taking Root, though perhaps not specifically named as such. These programs are grassroots, community-based programs, but in the aggregate they clearly have had a great effect nationally as well as beyond the borders of Kenya.

PBS Independent Lens Resources

A comprehensive website developed by PBS to accompany the national broadcast of Taking Root.

Discussion Guide:
Background information on Taking Root, questions for thinking more deeply, and suggestions for action.
Classroom:
Lesson plans to use Taking Root to explore links between deforestation and other issues and citizen action.

Hosting a Screening

Download and print out our checklist for hosting.
Download a mini-poster and postcards for your event.

For streaming and downloading the film in 12 languages, visit our Vimeo page.
Home Use DVDs are available via our website:

Educational institutions, public libraries, and organizations should purchase the original English edition from New Day Films.

Action Stories

If you initiate activities as a result of seeing Taking Root, post your stories on our Facebook page and/or let us know by sending a description and photos or your event.

If you are interested in learning how others around the world are using Taking Root, go to our Facebook page or check the Upcoming Screenings.

Related Environmental Organizations

Click logos to visit partner sites

: Green Belt Movement provides income and sustenance to millions of people in Kenya through tree planting and conducts educational campaigns to raise awareness about women’s rights, civic empowerment and the environment throughout Kenya and Africa.
: Forest Justice is an office of the National Wildlife Federation which inspires Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. NWF’s Campus Ecology® program/Forest Justice promotes climate leadership and sustainability among colleges and universities by providing resources and technical support, creating networking opportunities and organizing education events.
: 350.org is an internationalgrassroots campaign that is mobilizing a global climate movement through a common call to action – reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million..
: Alliance for Community Trees is dedicated to improving the health and livability of cities by planting and caring for trees. With 160 grassroots affiliates in 40 states and Canada, ACT member organizations have planted and cared for 14.9 million trees in cities with help from 4.3 million volunteers.
: The Alliance for Global Conservation is a partnership among Conservation International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society and World Wildlife Fund. The Alliance is working to encourage the U.S. to create a comprehensive global conservation strategy and take a leadership role in addressing natural resource destruction and species loss before it’s too late.
: Green For All is dedicated to fighting poverty and pollution, and advocates for local, state and federal green job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities, especially for people from disadvantaged communities.
: Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and inspired by Wangari Maathai, encourages people around the globe to make a tree planting pledge online with the collective goal of planting at least one billion trees worldwide each year.