Greenpop is so close to reaching 200,000 trees planted and this Arbor Month, they can make that happen; you can join in this exciting accomplishment.
South Africa (01 September 2022) – Every year, Greenpop commits to planting trees in honour of Arbor Month and this year, they could finally reach the goal of 200,000 trees planted.
Arbor Month is a celebration of trees and all that they do for our beautiful planet. They do more than just feed us, protect us from the sun and give us clean air. Trees combat noise pollution, prevent flooding, cool down the earth’s surface and provide habitats for our sweet little birds and critters. They are an integral part of the Earth and need to be protected.
Arbor Day was first launched in Nebraska, USA over 140 years ago as a way to save the soil on the farmlands. It was a competition held by the agricultural department to see who could plant the most trees in one day. They were used as windbreaks to prevent topsoil from blowing away.
It is said that over 1 million trees were planted on the first-ever Arbor Day. Now the day is celebrated globally and each place has its own date. Arbor Day in South Africa is held on the 1st of September, Arbor Week is the 1st to the 7th and in true South African style, we also dedicate the entire month of September to trees.
This year, the organisation has set its sights on finally reaching that 200,000th tree.
“In 2010, Greenpop started with a simple goal, to plant 1,000 trees during Arbor Month in under-greened urban areas of Cape Town.
In the years that followed, we went from focusing on schoolyards in Cape Town to forest patches in the Western Cape to forest landscapes across Sub-Saharan Africa. Thanks to consistent support from our donors, project partners and advisors, 12 years later we are close to having planted a total of 200,000 trees in degraded forests, community orchards, and urban spaces in South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
We are so proud of reaching this 200,000 trees milestone. But we also firmly believe that it is time to stop concentrating on counting trees and rather shift the focus to making trees count.”
For Greenpop, it has always been about making trees count instead of counting the number of trees. In South Africa, planting the right species of trees in the right environments and making sure they thrive has always been a part of the philosophy of Greenpop.
“We have always recognised that planting trees alone cannot restore ecosystems in most contexts and, while they are present in many of our projects, trees are just one tool in our ecosystem restoration toolbox. We don’t just count trees, we also make the trees we plant count.
So, this Arbor Month, we are shining a light on our approach to making trees count within our forest restoration and urban greening projects; planting the right trees, in the right places, with the right people, for the right reasons and measuring the right impacts.”
So if you would like to plant a tree that is meaningful and helps with the South African climate, check out Greenpop’s initiative here.
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