Tree Planting in Murang'a, Kenya

Three groups from Murang'a (Kenya) participated this event. These groups were:

• Mowlem Springs Adult Education Youth Group
• Muranga Teachers Training College
• Murang'a T T C Kids Club

Warm greetings from Murang’a Kids Club,

It was a sunny afternoon of 30th of September 2006. All the children had gathered with their teachers, with an aim of improving the environment through tree planting.

They had carried containers, hoe and small polythene bags, which assisted them in digging and packing of soil.

We planted four indigenous trees and we would be sending their botanic names as soon as possible tongether with the second set of photographs, which are yet to be developed and scanned.

The children were chattering here and there, as they enjoyed doing their task. Most of them were competing in filling soil in containers and polythene bags while some boys were struggling to push soil in a wheelbarrow. All the polythene packets and containers were filled .We sowed about 2000 seeds.

Majority of the kids had an idea of the importance of tree planting. The activity seemed challenging but to them it was not, as most of them wanted to plant as many as possible in order to have many trees around. They were willing to take care of them.

This project would have a positive impact to the surrounding in a given time, if only the people will have an insight on the importance of tree planting. We children we urge our nation to come out and join hands to save our environment for the coming generation as the example is set by Professor Wangari Maathai.

We are 35 children and 12 teachers ,the children’s age range from 4 years to 14 years. All these are staff children.

OMONDI OKOTH,
THE CO ORDINATOR
M.T.T.C. CHILDRENS’ CLUB

The children are happy after sowing the seeds in the bags in the background, ready for planting in the next season .Extreme right is the club co ordinator Mr Omondi, next to the patron Madam Ann Ng’ang’a and the smallest member of the club Nyawira Karimi standing inside the wheelbarrow. All smiles, from the most beautiful Kenyan children.















SECOND GROUP
The second group of the children greeting the world of enviromentists after a job well done with their teachers in the background.




Other participants from Kenya came from Nairobi and Oyugis. See their information and more photos in the ENO Tree Database.

South Africa: All schools from one village planting trees!

The schools in the village of Mpofana/Mooi River in KwaZulu Natal joined together in the plant trees as part of the ENO -Environment Online Tree Planting Event. This is the first time that these schools have participated in a joint project of this nature all for the betterment and improvement of our environment.

At least one tree per school was planted at 12:00 on the 21st September 2006. The trees were carefully selected to be indigenous and able to survive in our harsh climatic conditions.

Two of the schools had to place old tyres around the trees in order to protect them from the goats which frequently "visit" the school grounds. One school incorporated the removal of exotic invasive trees into the project. These invasive trees cause environmental degradation if not removed.

This unique opportunity to partake in a global event like this as a unifying exercise for the local environment is indicative on the "power" which the ENO programme has.

Treverton planted two Dias cotinifolio trees on the Treverton Wildlife Area for the Tree Planting Day. These are indigenous trees.

As a means of adding to the improvement of the environment we removed the exotic invasive trees too (these invasive plants cause large environmental degradation if not removed).

To carry this project one step further, the learners utilised the material from the exotic plant removal to create huts during the traditional Zulu day (cultural) activities. This activity will be report on in the next week or two.

(Unfortunately, not all the schools were able to take photographs - so for this presentation we only have a photo from Treverton School)

Janet Snow, Treverton School
ENO teacher and coordinator in South Africa

Tree Planting in Hawaii and a video clipse

I hope these people and trees are OK.... just heard about the earthquake in Hawaii.

The Seeds of Peace

I am tall, strong, beautiful.
I am a tree.
I have lovely birds sitting on my exquisite branches,
with roots bursting out from under me.
digging deeper, and deeper.
And with lush green leaves.
sprouting from dark brown branches.
Then suddenly, I was awakened.
by the sounds of children laughing.
I was dreaming of peace.
By Hailey, Grade 5

At 1 p.m. on September 21, students in Angie Church's and Carrieann Quinn's 5^th grade classes planted two special trees to commemorate World Peace Day. Before planting the trees, the students said a prayer and read messages and poems they had written. The students planted a hala tree and a coconut tree near the Luke Center for Public Service. The hala tree was grown from a seed by St. John '10 who had found the seed on Mount Ka‘ala when he was in the 4^th grade. The coconut tree was brought from Kualoa Ranch.

After the trees had been planted and measured, the students cheered and sang "This land is your land."

See their video clipse here (in Quick Time)

400 pine seedlings in Turkey

"Terve.

We are TR02 Hilal Necmiye Husnu Ataberk Ilkogretim Okulu from Izmir, Turkey. We planted 400 "pinus pinea" trees in our International Peace Day. As you knew, we have planted about 13.000 tress since the year 2004, when we first attended to ENO. We found a new place this year in another small village in Izmir named Urla. We started with 400 trees. Our aim is to build another forrest includes 10.000 trees more.

Our national TV channel TRT (Turkish Radio Television) and another local channel Ege TV were with us during the ceremony. Besides, the Governor of our city was also with us not by himself buy by a messenger. Aegean Forrest Foundation was with us with its president. The place Urla is little far from our school. (About 1 hour) That's why, we went there with our only 20 students, our school manager Yilday Kandemir, who is also the ENO manager in our school, me, our Assistant Managers and some techers were with us.

It was a great ceremony. Again I want to say that, our students are very proud because of they are a part of such a great family.

Love from Turkey.

Huseyin Sadic.
ENO teacher

Who plants a tree, plants a hope!

Motto: “The trees are God’s great alphabet:
With them He writes in shining green
Across the world his thoughts serene.”

Due to this programme, we had the opportunity to check “plant a tree” on our list of “must do’s in this life time”. If you would ask us why it was a life goal for us to plant a tree, the answer is very simple: a tree is the endless effort of the Earth to speak to the sky, it is the bearer of our expectations for the better.

Planting those baby-trees is the most precious tribute we owe to nature because the tree represents the means through which life tricks death. “The groves were God’s first temple”, or at least that’s what they say, so our inner selves feel much more peaceful knowing we’ve reached a temporarily equilibrium state of spirit.

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars… and if you have eyes, you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the trees - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy trees are…

Silvia, Livia, Diana, Alexandra, Roxana, Andreea and Adriana
(17 years old)

Barbu Stirbei College
Calarasi, ROMANIA