The Prince of Wales Launches Online Public Awareness Campaign to Save Rainforests

LONDON--(Marketwire - May 5, 2009) - The Prince of Wales will use the power of digital media today to launch the public awareness campaign of his Prince's Rainforests Project.

The purpose of the campaign is to create a climate of awareness and public concern that encourages action to end tropical deforestation. By signing up on the website, www.rainforestSOS.org, people will be demonstrating their support for urgent action.

The focal point of the campaign is a 90-second public awareness film in which His Royal Highness appears alongside his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, an array of well-known figures including Harrison Ford, the Dalai Lama, Daniel Craig, Robin Williams and children from around the world.

Each individual appears alongside an animated frog. The frog, created by Framestore, the Oscar-winning computer generated imagery (CGI) experts behind the film "The Golden Compass," serves as a symbol of the rainforest.

The film will be broadcast for the first time today, at 6pm BST, on a variety of websites, including the social networking site MySpace. As the webcast is transmitted, the public awareness film will be shown at a launch event, attended by The Prince of Wales at London's National Geographic store.

In order to make the campaign truly interactive, a digital application enables supporters to create their very own "mash-up" version of the film in which they can appear alongside the frog and well-known figures. The technology has been developed by Moonshine Media and will appear on a new campaign website created by Blue State Digital, the company which provided the proprietary software, as well as the online engagement strategies, for President Barack Obama during the US elections in 2008.

In his webcast, to be broadcast online before the showing of the film, The Prince of Wales says: "Our aim, with your help, is to build an online community to call, from the bottom up, for urgent action to protect the Rainforests, without which we will most certainly lose the battle against catastrophic climate change.

"One of the internet's strengths is that it can enable diverse communities to come together to ensure that everybody's views and actions can really be made to count. It provides the potential to create global determination for change on a vitally important issue."

The film can be viewed, and the public can demonstrate their support for the cause by visiting www.rainforestSOS.org or by texting 'SOS' and their email address to 60777*.

Notes to editors:

All media materials are available from The Clarence House Press Office and to download from http://www.firstlinemedia.com/epk/rainforestSOS from 10.00 BST. The campaign film and webcast message from The Prince of Wales will be available to download from 18.00 BST.

Members of the public can support the campaign by registering their name and email address at www.rainforestSOS.org or by texting SOS and their email address to 60777*

*Text registration only available in the UK. Standard network charges apply. We will send you an email asking you for further details, explaining how we would like to use your contact data and you will have a chance to withdraw your consent. We cannot accept SMS sign up from children under 12 years of age.