Rotary members were challenged by President Ian Riseley to plant 1.2 million trees - one for every member - by Earth Day.
Clubs around the world have embraced that challenge, and in his travels this year, Riseley himself has often been asked to pick up a shovel.
Rotary District 9600 has planned a mass planting representing the number of Rotarians in the District.
The Rotary Club of Caloundra will be planting trees next Rotary year, partnering with Council, at a designated site along Sugar Bag Road. More details soon.
At the beginning of this Rotary year, I issued a challenge: for every Rotary club to plant one tree for each Rotary member. My goal in doing so was twofold. The first goal was obvious: trees are good for us. They absorb carbon and release oxygen, they support biodiversity, they improve our soil, our climate, and our moods. We need more of them, and planting trees is a wonderful project for all Rotary clubs to do together.
On another level, I asked Rotarians to plant their trees by today—Earth Day—to raise awareness of issues that are too rarely mentioned in Rotary. While not an area of focus, the environment is a physical reality that underpins every area of Rotary’s work, and we ignore its health at our peril.
Often, opening our eyes and our thinking to environmental issues means moving from a mindset of reaction, to one of prevention. Is it better to provide a community with an alternative to contaminated water—or to use a sanitation project to keep contaminants out of the water to begin with? Is it better to treat children with respiratory issues from indoor cooking fires, or to help prevent those illnesses—and slow deforestation—by helping families find other ways to cook their meals? The answers are obvious, and the reasoning behind them should be applied to all of our work. If we want to build a better, healthier, and more peaceful world, we need a healthy planet to do it on.
I was delighted to see how much creativity and enthusiasm accompanied the simple act of planting trees. Rotarians have partnered with Rotaractors, Interactors, and other organizations, leveraging their work to get the most trees planted, and the most good out of each tree. In Cyprus, Rotarians across D2452 came together to plant trees in public spaces as Shade for Kids. Rotarians in District 3830 in the Philippines partnered with the Batak indigenous community to plant 1,250 trees in one day. The Rotary Club of Rose Belle in Mauritius decided to set their sights high, with a Million Trees Project, and a goal of one million trees planted by 2030. Here at our Evanston headquarters, our Rotary staff members raised money to plant trees in a nearby bird sanctuary—and invited me to wield the shovel! (I didn’t expect gardening gloves to become an essential part of my presidential travel kit this year, but am delighted at how often I’ve been invited to do those honors on my visits.)
I’ve enjoyed seeing all of the tree-planting projects posted on Rotary Showcase, and urge everyone to keep going, even once our goal date is past—and also to remember to take care of your trees until they’re thriving on their own.
On another level, I asked Rotarians to plant their trees by today—Earth Day—to raise awareness of issues that are too rarely mentioned in Rotary. While not an area of focus, the environment is a physical reality that underpins every area of Rotary’s work, and we ignore its health at our peril.
Often, opening our eyes and our thinking to environmental issues means moving from a mindset of reaction, to one of prevention. Is it better to provide a community with an alternative to contaminated water—or to use a sanitation project to keep contaminants out of the water to begin with? Is it better to treat children with respiratory issues from indoor cooking fires, or to help prevent those illnesses—and slow deforestation—by helping families find other ways to cook their meals? The answers are obvious, and the reasoning behind them should be applied to all of our work. If we want to build a better, healthier, and more peaceful world, we need a healthy planet to do it on.
I was delighted to see how much creativity and enthusiasm accompanied the simple act of planting trees. Rotarians have partnered with Rotaractors, Interactors, and other organizations, leveraging their work to get the most trees planted, and the most good out of each tree. In Cyprus, Rotarians across D2452 came together to plant trees in public spaces as Shade for Kids. Rotarians in District 3830 in the Philippines partnered with the Batak indigenous community to plant 1,250 trees in one day. The Rotary Club of Rose Belle in Mauritius decided to set their sights high, with a Million Trees Project, and a goal of one million trees planted by 2030. Here at our Evanston headquarters, our Rotary staff members raised money to plant trees in a nearby bird sanctuary—and invited me to wield the shovel! (I didn’t expect gardening gloves to become an essential part of my presidential travel kit this year, but am delighted at how often I’ve been invited to do those honors on my visits.)
I’ve enjoyed seeing all of the tree-planting projects posted on Rotary Showcase, and urge everyone to keep going, even once our goal date is past—and also to remember to take care of your trees until they’re thriving on their own.