Taking The World From "MINES TO VINES"
By Carol Green

In the fall of 1997, shortly after the death of Princess Diana, California native, social activist and former television reporter Heidi Kuhn raised her glass to make a toast to a group of landmine-removal activists, friends and family gathered in her home in the hills of San Rafael, California. From her lips came the affirmation "that the world can go from mines to vines," and thus, the seed was planted. The words "from mines to vines" became a rallying cry for the organization she founded called Roots of Peace, an international charity dedicated to the eradication of landmines and the rebuilding of ravaged agricultural communities worldwide. Formerly devastated villages of Croatia spread over hundreds of acres of land have since been successfully de-mined and now flourish with grapes due to the efforts of Heidi Kuhn and Roots of Peace. And this was just the beginning.

The following spring, Mrs. Nane Anan, wife of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Anan joined Heidi to formally launch Roots of Peace. Help came first from prominent California vintners -- Wente Vineyards, Beringer Vineyards and Robert Mondavi, chairman of Robert Mondavi Family of Wineries – who laid the foundation to fund early efforts. A veritable "Who’s Who" of vintners, celebrities, activists, humanitarians, dignitaries and corporate and world leaders continually grows to make this dream a stunning reality. A smattering of those involved includes Queen Noor of Jordan, actors Martin Sheen and Ellen Burstyn, the Napa Valley Vintners’ Association and Roots of Peace international spokeswoman singer/songwriter Judy Collins.

There is much to do. Every 22 minutes of every day, someone steps on a landmine. Landmines kill or maim about 26,000 people per year – 10,000 of them children. Landmines cost from $3 to $30 apiece. It costs about $1,000 to remove a mine with painstaking, dangerous work probing the land a quarter-inch at a time.

Since the signing of the Ottawa Treaty to Ban Landmines in December of 1997, the number of mines in the ground has increased. Roughly 70 million to 110 million mines are presently planted in 60-70 countries worldwide, with an additional world stockpile of about 250 million mines. The United States is responsible for the manufacture and sale of a large percentage of the world’s landmines.

On Sunday, July 28, 2002, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams presented Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, with a donation from Roots of Peace to fund demining efforts north of Kabul in an area called the Shamali Valley, a place where vineyards had flourished for thousands of years. The HALO Trust, a not-for-profit organization specializing in the removal of the debris of war, will begin the Roots of Peace sponsored demining this summer. The organization’s goals include reviving coffee plantations in Angola, cashew orchards in Mozambique and rice paddies in Cambodia. At Isaiah’s Wall across from the United Nations in New York City, Roots of Peace has planted a peace garden as a reminder that we can "convert swords to plowshares" and "mines to vines."

Passionate gardeners are often compassionate people. You, too, can be part of this global solution. I invite you to join in this effort. To make a tax-deductible contribution, volunteer, or to find out more, visit the web site at www.rootsofpeace.org or call 1-415-455-8884.