Tree lover targets schools in initiative

As the country rallies towards climate action, a youthful conservation entrepreneur from North Rift has embraced social media to advance comprehensive tree planting in schools.

Laura Sang, a specialist in project management, has identified schools as her road map towards addressing the global crisis of climate change, by introducing the young generation into a culture of planting and nurturing trees to improve forest cover.

Her climate action plans are through partnerships with environmental clubs in the institutions, where conservation talks are held, and tree seedlings are planted and nurtured to maturity through regular monitoring.

"It is my own initiative to bring people together in greening the environment through tree planting. I target environment clubs in schools because it is in the institutions, where trees can easily be planted, and cared for to maturity," Sang said.

Sang, a resident of Nandi County, approaches the management of schools and inquires on the capacity of trees they can manage after planting.

"Once they give a figure of tree seedlings they can manage after planting, I use the social media platforms to fund-raise with friends. I then buy seedlings, mainly the indigenous species, from tree nurseries owned by youth groups in the community," Sang told Planet Action in an interview.

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Her programme, the Laura Sang initiative, started in 2016, has so far seen over 50,000 seedlings planted across several institutions and individual farms in the North Rift.

The initiative purchases a seedling of indigenous trees at between Sh30 and Sh50 each, hence many youth groups who own nurseries have been empowered economically and also taken part in conservation initiatives.

"We enlighten students on the importance of conserving the environment through greening with trees. On planting, we label trees with their scientific, English and vernacular names and their importance in uses. To ensure trees grow to maturity, each student is made to adopt a tree," she said.