Former high school history teacher Ronald Sakolsky delivered an impromptu speech at a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ceremony in Rome on October 15, where Chinese sand-control pioneer Yin Yuzhen was honored as one of the FAO's 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development.

Sakolsky recalled how Yin kept planting trees despite repeated failures and how his $5,000 donation in 1999 helped support her work. More than 50,000 trees were eventually planted with the funds. He urged people around the world to take simple action for the planet: "Plant one tree, just one."