Each September, with the arrival of spring, South Africa celebrates all things green with Arbor Month. Although the Cape weather doesn’t always play along, Flow client Hotel Verde, Africa’s greenest hotel, jumped into action to plant 20 trees with the help of Greenpop, an environmental organisation dedicated to tree planting and urban greening, and Wingfield Primary School. Flowstars Stuart Buchanan and Carla de Klerk documented the fun event.
“Today we’ve come to plant some trees. We’re doing it for a good cause, planting trees for a school that needs it, and we are doing it for these kids,” said Hotel Verde conference, events and marketing manager Chrisna van Dyk. “Hotel Verde owner Mr Delicio always says that we didn’t inherit the world from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children, from the youth. From our point of view, we are investing not only in education, but in the future.”
Hotel Verde has had an ongoing relationship with Greenpop since opening its doors three years ago. On the Arbor Month occasion, Greenpop generously doubled Hotel Verde’s sponsorship from 10 trees to 20.
Starting early in the morning on 9 September, Wingfield Primary’s grade seven class was taught the basics of tree planting before they tackled the sand, soil, compost, stakes and trees themselves. Along with Hotel Verde staff members, the learners were divided into teams to plant all 20 trees.
The teams were asked to decorate and name their trees once they were successfully planted. Some of the more interesting names of the day included Queen Amandla, Promise Tree and Madiba. Greenpop managing “branch” director Lauren O’Donnell and Tree-E-O Misha Teasdale explained that this was all about giving the kids a connection to the trees to ensure they would take care of them.
Wingfield Primary learners Phozisa Mema and Tara Thompson said, through fistfulls of soil, that the experience was a lot of fun, while learning that trees are not only important for the environment, but that they would also help to make their school look nicer. They and their classmates pledged to look after the trees by placing green fingerprints on a “tree contract”, solemnly swearing that they would take care of their trees.
All 20 trees planted at Wingfield Primary, including a variety of wild olive, wild peach and waterberry trees, are indigenous to South Africa and to the region. This month Greenpop aims to plant its 70 000th tree since its inception in 2010.
View Stuart’s Hotel Verde Arbor Day video here: