"We could never have loved the earth so well if we had no childhood in it."
- George Eliot
Aims & Benefits of a School Tree Nursery
The combined aim of the UK School Tree Nurseries (STNs) is to provide trees for restoration of locally degraded environments such as flood land, eroded countryside and neglected inner city areas, and to educate and support the children, adults and communities involved. The programme enhances the children’s environmental education, and allows for their personal participation in the restoration of the planet. Further, it unites and encourages local communities to participate with their local authorities in environmental decision making, in resolving where to best plant the saplings for the maximum benefit to the local environment, leading to the creation new green areas in neglected or derelict land. With today’s political consensus on the imperative of preserving green areas in our communities, STNs can provide a vital complement in the effort to prevent further degradation of local environments.
School Tree Nursery Programme Operations
STNs are created within school grounds, with children participating in raising saplings in a nursery environment, giving them both a sense of achievement and tangible environmental educational benefit. The educational aspect of the programme is enhanced through theatre and games, which encourage and “educate” the children and their teachers about ecological restoration, the carbon cycle, and the importance of the children’s participation in this work.
Once saplings have reached the correct maturity, ERS arranges their planting-out by the children, in co-ordination with local council authorities. ERS representatives work with local rangers employed by the local authorities, to identify the most appropriate places to plant the trees – generally barren areas prone to erosion, flood plains, and degraded inner city areas. In Lewes, East Sussex, for example, trees have been planted in flood plain areas, helping to alleviate the effect of flooding, a growing problem in the UK.
Feedback:
"As a mum and a Learning Support Assistant at a large middle school in Sussex I am surrounded by children all day everyday, which is fantastic. What concerns me though is what the world will be like when they are adults and have families of their own. I feel that it is our responsibility as adults to start making steps, however big or small, to help restore our natural environment. We need to be setting an example to our children by taking action at home by recycling our waste, turning out lights, saving water etc. Working in a school I have been able to coordinate our Eco- Schools project and with the support and guidance of Earth Restoration Services we have recently established a Tree Nursery. This contains 800 saplings of native varieties. Over the coming years we will be planting them out into the \'big world\' to help restore the eco-systems and regenerate/restore some local areas. It is a project that all the children are loving and they really feel proud that they too are helping to save the planet. "
Polly Wise, ERS representative and teacher, Sussex
Example: South Malling, Lewes, United Kingdom.
Children at the South Malling Primary School, created a tree nursery for local community restoration. Every child in the class planted a tree. Our ERS representatives were there for the environmental education and spirits were high!
We are looking for active schools where we can help to create a tree nursery, supply necessary information materials, distribute tree seeds, and organise tree planting training sessions.
Thus far:
With your help ERS has helped children across the UK to learn about their environment and they have planted thousands of trees in the UK and around the world.
For 2008, please help us to bring a tree nursery to 100 schools - enabling 5000 children to plant trees whilst learning and restoring their local environment.
To support us and get involved with this programme, please click here
Greenpeace Russia first launched an initiative called the "Kids for Forest Restoration project (Kids for Forest)" in 2002. This project involves rural schools of 5 sparsely forested regions of Central Russia – Ryazan, Tula, Orel, Belgorod, and Lipetsk regions.
ERS has been inspired by the Russian success and has introduced programmes in the UK.
Greenpeace Russia first launched an initiative called the "Kids for Forest Restoration project (Kids for Forest)" in 2002. This project involves rural schools of 5 sparsely forested regions of Central Russia – Ryazan, Tula, Orel, Belgorod, and Lipetsk regions.
ERS has been inspired by the Russian success and has introduced programmes in the UK.
