On Monday, January 7th Somayeh (Nasim) Yousefi and Jafar Edrisi, two Iranian bicyclists traveling the world for peace and environmental conservation planted “peace trees” on Capitol Hill- and FCNL got to be part of this rare event. FCNL staff, the Mennonite Central Committee, and other community organizers helped Yousefi and Edrisi extend the “global green line” of peace trees to include Capitol Hill.
Nasim and Jafar left Tehran with maps, tents, cookware, a Bible, a Quran, and eight books of Iranian poetry. They have already cycled across Iran, Turkey, Europe, Canada, and the East Coast of the United States and will be continuing through East Asia, India, and Pakistan. Around the world they are planting peace trees and spreading a message of the interconnectedness of peace and environmental restoration.
After treating FCNL staff to a presentation about their journey and,being introduced to green architecture through a tour of our building, Nasim and Jafar continued their cycling journey, with “War is Not the Answer” bumper stickers on the back of their bikes. To learn more about their journey, see their blog in both English and Farsi or the BBC article about them.
Also, if you are interested in hosting Nasim and Jafar on their cross-country journey, please contact Kate Gould, the Legislative Program Assistant for Foreign Policy.
