Treelympics 2014 - St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Richmond Vale Academy Climate Compliance Team #7

Environmental Online (ENO) Treelympics 2014

ENO

Environmental Online (ENO) is the global virtual school that launched in the year 2000 with the goal of creating an international network for sustainable development. Richmond Vale Academy is just one of many schools and organizations in 157 countries that have joined ENO in their endeavor.

ENO

A major environmental action for ENO is tree planting days, which take place twice a year, May 22nd on International Biodiversity Day, and September 21st, the International Day of Peace. What is the goal? 100 million trees by the year 2017; now that’s a lot of trees!

TREELYMPICS

Treelympics was created at the Rio+20 Earth Summit.

117 countries are participating in the Treelympics and the winner flies to Finland.

PARTICIPANTS

Groups and groups and groups of students from schools starting from North Leeward and going all the way down to Union Island participated with RVA to plant 1500 trees all over St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

SVG

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a chain of 32 islands, only 8 of which are inhabited.

They gained their independence from England October 27, 1979. There are approximately 110,000 people who populate the beautiful island.

English is the official language and breadfruit and jackfish the local dish.

POEM

When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder, lions hunker down in tall grasses, and even elephants lumber after safety.

When great trees fall in forests, small things recoil into silence, their senses eroded beyond fear.

-Maya Angelou

Why Trees?

Trees are extremely important to the health of humans and the planet we live on. By increasing shade, air quality, animal habitats, water quality and quantity, community aesthetics, and property value, the more trees a neighborhood has, the better.

Why Trees?

An abundance of trees also helps to reduce smog and particle damage, air conditioning costs, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, mudslides, and greenhouse gas.

Why Trees?

Trees also provide products and services, like food, timber, energy, medicine and fiber and it offsets our carbon emissions, a huge contributor to the climate changes that we are experiencing around the world.

Trees Help!

Heat from the earth is trapped in the atmosphere due to high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) creating a phenomenon known as the “greenhouse effect.� Trees act as carbon sinks by removing CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and returning oxygen back into the atmosphere as a byproduct.

On average, one acre of new forest can sequester 2.5 tons of carbon annually.

Trees Help!

Planting 100 million trees could reduce an estimated 18 million tons of carbon per year and consequently save American consumers $4 billion each year on utility bills.

Trees Help!

Over a 50-year lifespan, a tree generates almost $32,000 worth of oxygen, providing $62,000 worth of air pollution control.

This tree would also be responsible for recycling $37,500 worth of water and controlling $31,000 worth of soil erosion.

Trees Help!

Trees also remove other gaseous pollutants through the stomata in the leaf surface by absorbing them with normal air components.

Studies show tree cover in one urban park removes 48 pounds of particulates, 9 pounds of nitrogen dioxide, 6 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 0.5 pounds of carbon monoxide and 100 pounds of carbon – daily.

COLLABORATION

Richmond Vale Academy planted with over 100 schools in SVG. Boys and Girls; Big and Small; Principals, Teachers and Parents; Ministry of Health and Environment, and even a Scotia Bank representative all showed up to: 

Teach



Learn 





Dig Plant Water

Quotes

“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.” ― Chad Sugg

We Need Trees!

Trees have been shown to influence the flow of water.

Trees reduce topsoil erosion by catching precipitation with their leaf canopies. This lessens the force of storms and slows down water runoff which in turn ensures that our groundwater supplies are continually being replenished.

We Need Trees!

Research indicates that 100 mature trees intercept approximately 100,000 gallons of rainfall per year and for every 5 percent of tree cover added to a community, storm water runoff is reduced by approximately 2 percent.

Really, We Do!

Along with breaking the fall of rainwater, tree roots remove nutrients that are harmful to water ecology and quality. Leaves that have fallen from the trees and begun to decay form an organic layer that allows water to percolate into the soil which also aids in the reduction of runoff and soil erosion. All of this also helps reduce street flooding and sedimentation in streams.

Keeping Cool

Trees help to modify local climate by lowering air temperature, increasing humidity, influencing wind speeds and reducing glare.

The evaporation from a single large tree can produce the cooling effect of 10 roomsized air conditioners operating 24 hours a day.

Keeping Cool

Trees also help with energy costs in the winter by blocking cold winds thereby reducing the strain on heating units. These energy savings, when spread over many houses, neighborhoods and urban areas, can reduce the demand for power production by utility plants, which also reduce the amount of air pollutants produced by these power plants.

QUOTES

“Trees are always a relief, after people.” ― David Mitchell “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. ” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt

From the Mouths of

“When are you coming back?”

“Can we do this again tomorrow?”

“Can we water it everyday?”

“This was fun!”

“We like planting trees”

Small Talk

“Welcome to our school.”

“Thank you for coming to our school to plant trees.”

“Trees give life.”

“Can I have a Moringa to take home?”

“I have a Moringa tree at my house.”

“Can we visit you?”

“Please come again.”

Climate Compliance Team Thoughts

“Treelympics is a great idea and a great action” -Kata “It was fun; We had a good time” -Bjorn “It was very good. We met a lot of people and planted a lot of trees” -Rodrigo “It was challenging, but rewarding” -Rachel “Trees are important so we did a good thing” -Eik

Get Involved



Coastal Clean-up



10,000 Moringas



Recycling



Kid’s Clubs



Organic Farming



Horseback Riding



Hiking



Scuba Diving

Join Us!

Richmond Vale Academy invites individuals and groups from all over the country, Caribbean, and world to join us. You can make a difference as a student in the 18month Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder with the Poor Program; the 6-month or 1month Climate Compliance Conferences.

Join Us!

You can also come as a guest of our horseback riding, hiking or diving centers: www.richmondvalehiking.com

Whatever you choose, we look forward to seeing you!

Contact Us!

Website: www.richmondvale.org Email: stina@richmondvale.org Phone: +1784.458.2255

Facebook: www.facebook.com/richmondvaleacademy

Thank You!

Reduce!

Reuse!

Recycle!

Rally!

Rethink!

Respond!