Sunday 26 July marked the 20 year anniversary of National Tree Day – Australia’s largest community tree planting event. It began humbly in 1996 and has grown immensely, with over 21 million trees planted by over 3 million Australians.

In recent years and in the near future, there has been and will be a significant increase in Australia’s population, forcing the urbanisation of more natural landscapes. Whilst the future expansion is set to be carried out with sustainability in mind, past expansion neglected this, creating a situation with severely diminished natural resources.

Planet Ark’s establishment of the Tree Day initiative was intended to promote sustainable behaviour within younger generations, as well as to physically contribute to environmental regeneration. So, not only does the day bring together community volunteers, but it also betters the national environment and establishes a good base for the future.

Last Sunday was the inaugural Newington Tree Day, as 50 boys joined the 250,000 nation-wide volunteers, to help regenerate the environment.

Held at Tempe Reserve, the event involved boys planting trees with the local community, in one of Marrickville Council’s focus areas. It was a wonderful opportunity for boys to engage with voluntary service, gain service learning hours and contribute to the community. The council provided gloves, shovels, trees and refreshments, and together the group were very successful in planting hundreds of trees around the area.

Under the guidance of the Sustainability Committee, the event is expected to expand and continue in years to come, and proved to be an excellent event.

Stavros Dedes (10/PR) and Ashan Karunagaran (12/KL)
Sustainability Committee