When people dressed in their corporate clothes get down and dirty on their knees to plant trees, you know they mean business! And this is exactly what happened at a tree-planting morning at the Inhlakulo Community Garden, Centurion, on Friday 9 December 2022.
As part of the final Team Europe South Africa diplomacy event for 2022, the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa teamed up with non-profit organisation Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) for the activity tying in with the European Union’s #ForOurPlanet campaign to address the climate and nature crises around the globe.
Flow Communications business unit head Gail Tanner, project manager Lesego Khutsoane and social media intern Nicholas Thiel attended the event, which aimed to benefit communities in the townships of Olievenhoutbosch and Diepsloot. The participants also got to see first-hand how tree planting can transform shared spaces and create a healthier, greener environment.
FTFA facilitator Jem Mkhize provided a tree-planting demonstration, starting with digging a hole half a metre wide and half a metre deep. She showed how a two-litre plastic bottle with holes created in the bottom can be planted upright with a tree to feed water from the surface directly to the roots. (The water is fed through the bottle opening at ground level.)
This is an interesting example of how objects that are harmful to the environment can be used in a way that actually benefits the earth.
Flow’s involvement in the initiative stems from being contracted to organise Team Europe’s high-profile Climate 360 climate diplomacy events between October and December 2022. The work included event coverage, media relations and a social media campaign.
“It was wonderful to give back, planting trees and meeting the local beneficiaries at the final Climate 360 event for the year, wrapping up a busy few months of event planning, communications work and support,” says Gail.
The event was a success and an eye-opener for many of the participants. It served as a reminder that ordinary people and non-profit organisations can combat the climate crisis through small steps such as planting a tree.