Joining Forces With Two Schools For National (Schools) Tree Day, 26 July

It was on 5 July this year that the journal Science published a report detailing how a concerted tree planting effort by six countries, including Australia, could at the very least grant a 20-year pause to the effects of climate change. While the publication was poignant given the Amazon events of late, it was quite timely that this research was followed just a few weeks later by Schools Tree Day (Friday 26th) and National Tree Day (Sunday 28th).

Backed by Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA) and Planet Ark, The National Tree Day weekend celebrated its 20th year with the car company and has always been a great opportunity for Toyota dealerships to partner a local school or community group in planting tree saplings in areas ranging from school grounds, local parklands and residential estates. To date, and incredible 25 million trees have been planted by over 4 million volunteers and 10 million hours of time donated.

South Melbourne Park Primary

Melbourne City Toyota had the pleasure of working with two schools this year with two very different, but equally enjoyable projects. We began the day at South Melbourne Park Primary, just at the northern tip of Albert Park. The school had not long opened its brand new extension and an outdoor education area on an upper level, with a grand, grey new building look needed a bit of colouring in. After providing funds for planting boxes and flower bulbs and kitting out 83 prep students with gloves, t-shirts and protective face masks (you really can’t be too careful these days!), we jumped into getting our hands dirty by ensuring everybody plant and water their own bulbs.

Camberwell South Primary School

Making a hop, skip and dash across the city, we then joined Camberwell South Primary School where over the course of the morning, students of every grade from prep to year 6 planted over 200 plants ranging 20 different trees and shrubs around the school grounds. All of the trees are indigenous within a 10 km radius of Whitehorse and as we were delighted to learn had been donated by Boroondara City Council, supplied by Green Link Nursery in Box Hill. Among the trees were three kinds if wattle, silver-leafed stringy bark, narrow-leafed peppermint, tree everlasting, as well as a couple of saltbush, chocolate lily, kangaroo grass and small leaved clematis.

Other planting that took place included two cuttings were replanted from the School’s 94 year old Mulberry tree, a fig tree, bay tree, lemon myrtle*, pepper berry* and 2 finger limes*. But this wasn’t necessarily a day out of the ordinary for Camberwell South Primary School. It turns out that they have garden classes as part of their curriculum and another exciting project which will be the subject of a future piece here, so for now we’ll just say that we were blown away by an amazing kitchen garden that has been on the go for the last 4 years and features over 35 different fruit trees and… wait for it… chooks! Yes, you heard it here folks, chooks. At school.

Connecting With Nature

What a great thing for inner suburban kids to be able to experience and learn about. From the joy in the faces of the prep students of South Melbourne Park Primary who were doing something very new, to the energetic gatekeepers of the impressive and well developed surroundings of Camberwell South Primary School, it was such a pleasure to see what a little connecting with nature brings out in people.

It’s all the more special when its the leaders of tomorrow getting their green fingers on, particularly when Australia can play a huge part in leading the way. Hopefully, the research in Science hasn't been carried out in vain. We can’t wait to see how each garden develops and hope to return next year. Perhaps even sooner

Be part of something bigger.