South African settlement gets green boost
Planting the first tree at the ceremony in Zandspruit
Thanks to a Monash South Africa (MSA) environmental impact initiative, trees have been planted at 178 households in the nearby Zandspruit informal settlement.
Last year the University initiated an online environmental pledge for staff and students across all campuses to encourage them to support sustainability and reduce their own environmental impact.
It was agreed that for each person at MSA completing and committing to the pledge, the University would donate AU$5 to be used on an environmental project.
At the time, Monash exchange student Koel Wrigley was Vice-President of student volunteer group, the Society of Monash Geographers and Environmentalists (SMUdGE) while undertaking an internship at Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA).
The FTFA initiative started in 1990 to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of trees in beautifying the environment, creating a habitat for birds and insects, supporting the soil and especially in combating climate change. FTFA has, to date, planted 4.8 million trees across South Africa.
The SMUdGE students pushed for the money collected from the University pledge to be used to sponsor the planting of trees in Zandspruit, which has an estimated 15,000 mainly informal dwellings and is home to nearly 50,000 people.
Monash joined forces with FTFA to acquire and distribute 100 indigenous and 78 fruit trees to Zandspruit residents through FTFA’s ‘Trees for Homes’ program.
A tree planting demonstration was held at a recent ceremony at the Emthojeni Community Centre in Zandspruit to celebrate the handing over of the trees to the community.
At the ceremony MSA’s Research Directorate, Linda Downsborough said the University was proud to be part of the initiative.
“Through our student-driven community engagement activities, we have formed strong partnerships with local communities to address issues of mutual concern and to empower them to help themselves,” Ms Downsborough said.
For more information on Monash South Africa, visit their website.