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National Tree Week – Celebrating these heroes of nature

With COP27 only just behind us it is fitting that, as a firm, we are celebrating National Tree Week - the UK’s largest annual tree celebration (27 November – 4 December).
November 28, 2022
Each year, the country’s conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers come together to plant thousands of trees to mark the start of the annual tree planting season with National Tree Week – and we are doing our bit too. But why?

We are committed to supporting schemes and initiatives which promote our environmental and sustainability policy, and trees have a vital role to play in this.

Why are trees so important?

Forests create oxygen and help regulate the temperature of the planet. As we depopulate the world of trees, the global temperature rises.

Droughts occur more often, along with flooding, forests become drier with fires more frequent – all of which releases tons of CO2 into the atmosphere raising the earth’s temperature even more.

Interestingly, as the Amazon Rainforest is cleared and burned for agriculture, atmospheric oxygen levels have decreased. It’s no accident that the Amazon rainforest has been referred to as the lungs of the earth.

Every nation needs to seriously reduce their emissions and find a way of reducing the damage already done.

Technology is playing an important role in this, to help remove CO2 – the biggest culprit – from the atmosphere, but it is an expensive and complex process.

There is a simpler solution – and it’s our most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change: TREES.

Planting just one tree will result in the absorption of 21kg of CO2 per year?

So, what are we doing about it?

To help combat deforestation and offset CO2 emissions, Vail Williams takes part in a scheme called Fruitful Office as part of our wider Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy.

Fruitful Office works with their UK charity partner, Ripple Africa, to plant one fruit tree in Malawi for every one fruit box/basket that we have delivered to our offices.

Since we reinstated this project a year ago, post-Covid, 183 fruit trees have been planted in Malawi. That’s a CO2 saving of 3.8 tonnes over the last year, simply through planting trees.

But it doesn’t stop there – our people also play a part outside of the workplace, as Carole Thomas, our Risk and Compliance Manager explains.

Carole’s story

“In 2021 I bought an old 1960 grain barn with a view to, one day, it becoming my home.  As the building became redundant as a working farm, the land had become a dumping ground.

“Whilst getting the building finished is our priority it was evident that once the site was cleared, we needed to add some structure to what was a completely barren boundary.

“So far, we have planted 40 trees and over 200 hedging plants, although they will some take time to establish, they flowered this spring and have continued to thrive despite the extreme temperatures this summer.

“With each tree absorbing 21kg of Co2, this has taken approximately 840 kg of carbon out of the atmosphere and our trees will continue to exceed those values year after year.”

What can you or your organisation do to get involved?

It’s simple: you can donate to an appropriate charity through sponsorship or even plant a tree yourself.

Here are some of the national organisations we are involved with:

  • The Tree Council will plant and maintain a new tree or a metre of hedgerow with your £15 donation.
  • The Woodland Trust has many ways in which you can get involved or dedicate the planting of a tree, including, in Tribute and remembrance of Her Majesty the Queen in the continued evolution of The Queen’s Green Canopy
  • Alternatively, you can show your support by planting a tree in your own garden or local community garden. This can be registered with BBC Countryfile Plant Britain

Trees are heroes of nature. They sustain wildlife, create oxygen, purify our air and are absolutely beautiful.

We are proud to support National Tree Week – the perfect time to celebrate our trees and remind everyone about all they do.

For more information visit The Tree Council.