Hi everyone. My name is Natasja Balm and I’m from the Netherlands. Today is my 27th birthday and I think it’s a great moment to share something with you. In exactly one month I’ll be taking my first steps on the Camino France. From the south of France I’ll walk 775km to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. A pilgrimage through the beautiful nature for about five weeks. Nature, that in a few decennia, will not be so obvious anymore. The earth is heating up with major consequences for our nature, our health, our security and the availability of food and water. Storms, flood, drought and heatwaves will be the new normal. How big the change and the problems will be depends on the actions we take. Reducing your own carbon dioxide footprint and stimulating environmental friendly behaviour is a good individual start. Since it’s my birthday today and I would love to spend many more birthdays in good health and on a healthy planet together with you and our future generations, there is only one wish I have. I know walking a pilgrimage is not about raising money. But how great would it be if I can walk the Camino also for our future generations? Without doing something about the climate change, there will be no Camino anymore to walk on. I’m asking you to support me by planting trees along the way and spreading seeds of awareness. So we all can have a beautiful planet to live on. Did you know approximately 10 billion trees disappear annually. Trees that are so important for the carbon dioxide uptake. That’s why today I started my own Camino Family Grove in the Scottish Highlands and planted the first 4 trees. Lets built this grove together. For 6 British pounds, 6.5 euro’s or a little bit more than 7 dollar you can add a tree to the grove. Together we will start making the first steps towards a better world! I hope many trees will be planted along the way on my Camino France. The world is thanking you in advance and so am I!