TURNING 'MINES TO VINES'--MINEFIELDS INTO VINEYARDS--IN UKRAINE

Roots of Peace Announces Landmark Partnership with

Rotary E-Club of Ukraine to Eradicate Landmines/UXO Amid Current Conflict

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Roots of Peace, a humanitarian non-profit organization, is pleased to announce the first MINES TO VINES program in Ukraine—transforming minefields into vineyards on former war-torn lands. The Rotary E-Club of Ukraine will partner with Roots of Peace to remove landmines in the Mykloaiv region of Ukraine, where winemakers have cultivated vineyards for thousands of years. Today, these vineyards yield the perils of landmines due to the recent invasion in February 2022, where the land is now held hostage by lethal landmines and explosive remnants of war.

The announcement will be livestreamed globally on Friday December 2 @ 1pm PST, here.

"As almost 30 percent of the territory of Ukraine remain contaminated with Russian mines, it our strong belief that with Roots for Peace's support the demining process in Ukraine will be performed quickly and effectively, bringing back normal life to our people, who suffered from this war of Russian aggression so far," said Dmytro Kushneruk, the San Francisco Consul General of Ukraine.

The program will be formally announced on December 2nd and 3rd at Grgich Hills Estate in Napa Valley, California, at the inaugural "Festival of the Bells" in support of the ongoing work of Roots of Peace. The 2022's Festival is a celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Signing of the Ottawa Treaty to Ban Landmines. Global dignitaries will gather in a series of panel discussions to raise global awareness regarding the 60 million landmines that remain in the soil of 60 countries worldwide– over 25 years after 162 countries signed the Ottawa Treaty. Confirmed speakers include Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, President Emeritus, The World Food Prize; Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim of Azerbaijan; Dmytro Kushneruk, SF Consul General of Ukraine and others.

Violet Grgich, President, Grgich Hills Estate, will partner with Roots of Peace CEO Heidi Kuhn to lead a global campaign to eradicate landmines/UXO from Ukraine and plant sustainable peace through agriculture. In 1997, Heidi Kuhn personally attended this historic Ottawa Treaty signing along with three California vintners (Mondavi, Beringer and Wente) with a vision to turn MINES TO VINES—replacing minefields with vineyards. To date, Roots of Peace has removed over 100,000 landmines/UXO and planted over seven (7) million fruit trees—cultivating peace through agriculture worldwide.

"I've walked the minefields of the world, and Roots of Peace has had programs in each of them, including Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, and The Holy Land. Now we are scaling up to the minefields of Ukraine– which was once the breadbasket of Europe, and now faces widespread landmine use by Russia." said Kuhn.

Media/Press invited to attend at Grgich Hills Estate, 1829 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, California.

CONTACT: Adriana Aristizabal, [email protected]

SOURCE Roots of Peace