Plant a Tree

Always talking about what is the small step that we can take, the little personal contribution to leaving a legacy...

This morning i've found one. It's called help planting a tree.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mrs. Wangari Maathai with support of the United Nations Environment Program has launched the Plant for the Planet Project: She wants to reach the goal of planting 1 billion trees in 2007, and for this they need the help of you, me, community groups, businesses and governments.

The Billion Tree idea emerged when a corporate group told Maathi that it was planting a million trees in the US. She responded, "That's great, but what we really need is to plant a billion trees."

"As we all know, we cannot live without trees. The average tree inhales 26 pounds of carbon dioxide and exhales enough oxygen for a family of four for a year.

For this reason, planting more trees is an important and practical part of the solution to global warming. Trees are economically important as well, providing communities with timber, fuel and food, and acting as a source of gums, latex and medicines for all societies. Trees are also essential to the environment, preventing erosion and desertification, and conserving soil and water sources; forests are home to 90 percent of terrestrial species. "

Through the Billion Tree Campaign website www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign, you can log in to make a pledge to plant a tree (you can pledge to plant a single tree, or up to 10 million trees) and then follow up once you have planted.

The campaign has identified four target areas of greatest need: degraded natural forests, farms and rural landscapes, sustainably managed plantations, and urban environments, but all pledges are welcome. Simply planting a tree in your backyard can have a positive impact on the environment.