Hi All

Early yesterday morning I drove down to a National Tree Planting demonstration alongside the Pomona Art Wall with some of my staff from Softrite and Bambazonke Nhasi. Clean and Green celebrated a monumental milestone with a very successful Tree Planting of 14 Acacia Sieberiana trees, along Pomona Art Wall on Borrowdale Road. Click here To Read More.  We set up our Softrite Gazebo and helped clean up and arrange various things for the presentation. The Mayoress, Liz Mapfume, was the guest speaker and she spoke about her passion for trees; and how we need to look after trees so that we continue to be woken up by the melodious chirping of our beautiful birdlife.  

Vivian Prince from Trees for Harare also spoke as well as guys from the Forestry Commission and a few others. It had been recommended that the Nyanga Umbrella Flat Top Acacia be planted so the teams had arranged for a whole lot of these to be donated for the cause. 

We were reminded of why the original Pine Trees, growing in that location, had been chopped down a few years ago. The bottom line is that they did not provide adequate shade; they were not indigenous; and, more importantly, they were being used for outdoor toilet purposes by travellers waiting for their Kombis. Birdlife living in the higher trees were also dying for some unknown reason. Acacias are fast growing so we should have a more scenic tree line there in a few short years. 

The next part of the plan is to have suitable tiling donated by community-minded businesses so that a 200-metre cycle track can be constructed between the wall and the trees. This will, with time, proceed all alongside the Borrowdale Road to Hatcliffe. It would be so good if we could eventually revive cycling to work as a way of life as happens in places like the Netherlands. I recommend that you put aside just 20 minutes of your time to stop by the new trees and be inspired to start doing your own little bit for the community. Think Trees this week. Contact Sharon (0772-240-442) or Viv (0772907758) if you would like to be involved in future Tree Planting exercises. Ciao Mike G.