27th May 2008
Tree Planting Day
As part of our Green Initiative, we at Printgraphics, decided to organise a tree planting day to offset our carbon emissions and minimise our environmental footprint.
On Sunday 25th May many Printgraphics families, as well as friends and clients met at a farm in the Kyneton/Woodend area. We were warmly welcomed by the owners of the farm, Keith & Chris Wiggett and members of the local TreeProject/Landcare group. We had committed to planting 750 trees – the amount required to offset our level of emissions.
By 10.30 am we had all arrived in our oldest clothes, gardening gloves at the ready, and were walked up a track from the farm house to where all was ready for us to start.
TreeProject/Landcare provided the plants that were either indigenous to the area or suitable for the local conditions. They also provided digging tools, buckets, weed mats, protection triangles made from biodegradable plastic, and mallets to hammer the stakes that hold the protection triangles in place. Printgraphics’ commitment was to pay for the plants and provide the labour.
The trees we were to plant were part of a long term plan to provide natural corridors for wildlife so they can move between the many national parks in the area.
There were six TreeProject/Landcare volunteers who stayed with us all day and organised us into groups. They demonstrated how to dig, and then plant the trees. Before long we got into the swing of it and we were off…
There was lots of banter, laughs and enthusiasm. The farm owner was kept busy trucking water up from the dam then filling the many buckets to water in the plants. Everyone got involved, even the children became very enthusiastic watering, hammering or placing weed mats with the plants. The older children soon learned how to remove the small plants from their tubes and carefully place them in the pre dug holes.
By 1.00 pm our backs were aching and our tummies rumbling, so we downed tools and walked across the paddock to the large shed where the host family had prepared a fantastic lunch. Hot pots of soup and delicious home made bread were a welcome sight! Not to mention the BBQ sausages, assortment of cakes then tea and coffee to finish with.
The red tin shed way down the back of the paddock with the coloured curtain over one side was source of wonder and amusement for the children – a real bush dunny!
When our tummies were full and were feeling very contented, we were told that instead of 750 trees we had actually planted 1000!! But for those still willing, they had another 350 to go! Now that we knew the routine and after such a wonderful morning’s effort, we felt we could plant these last few trees in no time – and we did, just like a well oiled machine!
It was a wonderful day out. To see the families working together and thoroughly enjoying themselves was delightful. As a 7 year old said – “I didn’t want to do this cos I thought I wouldn’t like it, but this is so much fun, I really love it”.
It was such a success that it will become an annual event!
