Woolies donates over 4000 trees

Woolworths is celebrating Arbour Week by donating 4309 indigenous trees to a low income housing project in the Western Cape and schools in Limpopo and the Western Cape.

Woolworths will donate 2309 trees to Kuyasa – a low income housing project in Khayelitsha.

Each household will receive a tree. To ensure the sustainability of the venture, the households will receive basic training about the need for trees, composting, mulching and watering. The project will create short-term employment for unemployed residents, who will work as community based educators, teaching fellow residents about the importance of trees and how to care for them.

One of their first tasks will be overseeing the planting of the trees.

In addition, 1000 trees have been donated to primary schools in Limpopo and the Western Cape. As members of the Woolworths Trust EduPlant programme, the schools have already been encouraged to develop sustainable gardens. These trees will be sourced from Woolworths Trust EduPlant school nurseries, contributing to income generation for the schools. Woolworths Trust EduPlant programme is a leading schools food gardening and greening programme that promotes the growing of food using permaculture techniques.

Planting will be overseen by Food and Trees for Africa – a non profit organisation working on environmental issues. This initiative forms part of Woolworths Good business journey to help our communities, our country and our world.

National Arbor Week takes place from 1 to 7 September 2008 and aims to motivate schools, businesses and communities to plant, sponsor and look after South Africa’s natural tree heritage.

“Trees provide many benefits for the environment. These include producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - thus helping to address climate change” says Jeunesse Park, founder of Food and Trees for Africa.

“As a fast growing business in the food, clothing and homeware sector we are particularly concerned about supporting the protection of natural resources. Arbor Week reminds us that we have to be more aware of our impact on the world around us. For Woolworths, this project is one of many greening projects to follow,” says Justin Smith, Woolworths Good business journey manager.

Planting will commence before the end of September 2008. The total number of trees donated by Woolworths since the announcement of the Good business journey in April 2007 now stands at over 5000. In line with the Good business journey plan, Woolworths aims to plant another 12,000 trees by 2012. - Supermarket.co.za