Showing posts with label planting trees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planting trees. Show all posts

March 24 - National Tree Planting Day in Uganda

    Posted on March 24, 2022  


This is an update of my post published on March 24, 2011:




Trees are super important for many reasons. Depending on the tree, a tree can provide shade, shelter from rain and snow, homes for animals, wood and paper, and food for humans and animals. Trees take carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas—out of the atmosphere, and they put oxygen into the atmosphere. They hold soil in place and therefore prevent erosion. They provide wind breaks and natural noise barriers.  They are beautiful!


Lions in trees?
Yes - at least in Uganda!


All of the fruits above grow on Ugandan trees.
Below, star fruit in Uganda.




Many countries have an “Arbor Day” or Tree Planting Day that urges people to plant and care for trees. Today is the Arbor Day of the African nation of Uganda.





Learn more about Uganda

This east African nation is landlocked, which means that it doesn't border on an ocean. However, it does border on the largest tropical lake in the world, Lake Victoria. It is sometimes called the Pearl of Africa.

Uganda is a great place to go on safari and see chimpanzees, elephants, hippos, lions, buffalos, more than a thousand species of birds, and maybe even a leopard or cheetah. Of course lots and lots more animals live there, too! Go here for information about Ugandan wildlife - and scroll down for photos and more info!


Here is a great Uganda tourism video. 


Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda



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June 15 - Día del Árbol in Costa Rica

Posted on June 15, 2019



The English translation of today's holiday is "Day of the Tree" or possibly "Tree Day."

But in English, we commonly call Tree Day "Arbor Day" - using the Latin word for tree, arbor. (We also use the word arbor to mean a shady garden "room" created by plants - the walls and roof are either trees or climbing plants trained over wooden trellises.)

Notice that the Spanish word for tree, árbol, is very similar to the Latin word. Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian are all called Romance languages, from Romans - who spoke, of course, Latin.

Even though people love trees, we cut
them down in order to plant crops, build
cities, and use wood as lumber or to
make paper. But we should be mindful
about how many trees we take -
they provide SO MUCH that we need.

Like, you know, oxygen!
Of course, trees are important in every country, because trees provide shade, shelter, and most important oxygen; they help fight global warming by using carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; they provide necessities such as food (fruits and nuts), fire, building materials, and paper; they are beautiful; they hold the soil and provide homes to wildlife and are a super necessary part the ecosystem!



Trees are maybe even more important to Costa Rica than to some nations, because the rainforests of Costa Rica are among the most beautiful in the world and attract tourists. There are about 100 species of trees in Costa Rica's rainforests, and the forests are homes to everything from gorgeous orchids and colorful birds to quick-moving monkeys and slow-moving sloths.







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April 1 - Happy Birthday, Wangari Maathai

Posted on April 1, 2019

She was the first African woman to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize. 

She was also the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Born on this date in 1940, in Kenya, Wangari Maathai was educated in two universities in the U.S. as well as in the University of Nairobi in Kenya. She studied biology and veterinary science. Out of school, she married and had children, and she began to teach at the university level. 

For a while there, in every job Maathai held, she was the first woman to have held that job: first female senior lecturer in anatomy, first female chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, first female associate professor...

In 1977, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental organization that focused on planting trees, conserving the environment, and developing and safeguarding women's rights. 


Maathai was eventually elected a member of Parliament and served with an administration as an assistant minister for environmental resources. She even became part of the World Future Council.

Check out some of Maathai's wisdom:














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