800,000 trees to be planted in the 4 major cities of Cyprus within the next few months

The initiative that became a movement!

A group of 10 people from Nicosia decided to do something about the climate change that is also affecting our country. They decided to plant 300,000 trees in Nicosia, because trees help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, they prevent erosion of the soil and they control the weather temperature throughout the year.

In the era of Internet and social media, this “small” initiative expanded fast with the other three major cities of Cyprus following. Pafos followed first with 100,000 trees, then Limassol with 300,000 trees and Larnaka with 100,000 trees. A total of 800,000 trees will be planted, almost one for each resident of Cyprus, whose population is around 860,000.

The aim of this initiative is to activate the society at all levels: Government, local authorities, forestry departments, universities, schools and other institutions, towards a healthier, human friendly and greener island with less concrete.

The proposed action plan created by 300,000 trees in Nicosia, will be implemented in the next few months after its final approval:

To request from municipalities and communities in and around Cyprus to make unused land, existing parks and other locations (i.e. pavements, squares, car parks etc) available for tree-planting
To liaise with the Forestry Department to source seedlings and young trees, guidance and expertise
To mobilise schools and universities to engage in tree planting within and near their premises
To promote the idea of “community ownership” of trees in public areas
To ensure that the trees planted in public areas receive the necessary care in the first 3 years of their life
To raise funds for purchase, planting and care of seedlings and other expenses
To mobilise citizens to participate in mass tree-planting initiatives
To promote home planting through “how –to- do” workshops on topics like “eatable gardens” and “balcony gardens”
To promote home planting through a social media hashtag campaign
To promote home planting by distributing suitable plants to the citizens

Already governmental and local authorities expressed their support and their wiliness to participate in this large-scale civic eco-project. The actual plan and steps will be discussed and approved in a meeting which will take place in Nicosia on the 17th September 2019.

The campaign will be funded through donations and through charity events that will take place all over Cyprus and the massive tree-planting project will begin this Fall in Latsia.

To get the benefits from these trees we need 20-30 years, but to destroy this treasure it needs only a few seconds of careless actions! It’s a major responsibility for all of us to keep forests safe!

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