Greenpop launches Trees for Zambia project

For three weeks in July 2012, Greenpop is hosting a reforestation project in Livingstone, Zambia; the country with the second highest deforestation rate in the world.

They will be planting over 5000 indigenous and fruit trees that are growing at the Zambezi Nkuku nursery, and hosting valuable educational sessions for children and subsistence farmers.

This will be the start of an ongoing campaign to make Zambia a greener and more sustainable place.

This project relies fully on the support of volunteers, to make the initial 3-week voluntourism project a success. Tree loving people from around the world will join community members, school children and local business people to plant trees, spread environmental education, attend workshops, listen to interesting speakers, as well as enjoy local entertainment in the evenings. It promises to be an exciting conference of action, sharing, and learning.

Volunteers will be camping at the beautiful Maramba Lodge and will spend their days planting trees at schools with children, forest areas with community leaders and on subsistence farms with the farmers. Misha Teasdale, co-founder of Greenpop says, “One of our big planting days will see 1000 trees planted in a day just a stone’s throw from the Magnificent Victoria Falls in the Peace Park - practically right in the spray of the falls. We’re really excited for this.”

Besides their involvement with planting trees and education, volunteers will also have the opportunity to learn about relevant conservation issues through a series of workshops and lectures. These will be hosted by local and international environmental experts.

Making tangible change

Lauren O’Donnell from Greenpop says,”Greenpop’s mission is to make tangible change and get everyone excited about trees. We have met with the Department of Education in Livingstone and have 20 schools on board. Prior to July we’ll be sending up educational material all about trees and during the campaign, volunteers will be planting with kids and facilitating fun workshops to teach the uses of trees and all their amazing benefits. Each school has already received one tree to plant and we have received some pictures from enthusiastic teachers showing us how well their trees are growing.”

“We’ll also be working with the Conservation Farming Unit in Zambia (CFU) to teach and implement sustainable farming techniques with subsistence farmers. Part of this initiative will see some of these farmers joining our micro-nursery enterprise programme and growing Faidherbia Albida trees that we will buy back from them a year later to replant. This creates financial incentive for the farmers and teaches the extraordinary value of this specific tree in soil rejuvenation and crop fertilisation.” adds Misha Teasdale.

Auldridge Chibbwalu, country representative from Amsha Africa Foundation in Livingstone comments on the project, “Great! You are most welcome in my city - Livingstone, Zambia. Let us do this great work for these communities. Thumbs up to you all!”

Music making and sports

“I can’t wait to get up there and start planting, but I’m also really looking forward to all the side events that’ll be going on while in Zambia! Music making of all sorts, soccer games, visiting Vic Falls and learning from the panel of interesting local and international speakers - including a representative from the UN as well as David Youldon from ALERT, star of the ITV series ‘Lion Country’… and more! It’s going to be an epic adventure and I can’t wait to share it with such a diverse group of people,” comments Jeremy Hewitt, from Greenpop.

Marketing manager for the project, Marleen Lammers, says, “We are overwhelmed by the amazing response we’ve had from people around the world who are keen to join us as a volunteer. It will be so exciting to have a large crowd planting trees with us!”

Keely, UK volunteer who has booked to join the project: “I am very excited to be taking part, I’m counting down the days!”

About Greenpop

Greenpop’s mission is to green under-greened areas and combat deforestation in Southern Africa. This social enterprise plants trees on behalf of companies, groups, travelers and individuals wanting to invest in a greener future and improve the lives of communities in areas affected by lack of resources. On top of planting trees, Greenpop strives to make ecoconsciousness accessible, fun, and popular so that a greener movement is inspired.

Greenpop started in September 2010 and has since planted over 9000 trees in over 140 beneficiary schools, orphanages, old-age homes, community centres as well as deforested areas. Creative tree-care programs have been implemented and children, community members, and volunteers are getting their hands dirty, learning a lot and loving it. Greenpop is inspired by the exciting projects that they have coming up and the bright green future that they see for Southern Africa.

About Zambezi Nkuku

Zambezi Nkuku is a chicken farm that is taking environmental and social responsibility seriously. They have taken on a variety of important projects to improve the environment of Livingstone. The farm provides the service of collecting organic waste from markets in Dambwa and teaches people what organic waste consists of and why it is important.

Zambezi Nkuku also has a nursery and is growing the indigenous and fruit trees that will be be planted in schools, subsistence farms and forest concession areas for the Trees for Zambia project.

This project relies fully on the support of volunteers, to make the initial 3-week voluntourism project a success. Tree loving people from around the world will join community members, school children and local business people to plant trees, spread environmental education, attend workshops, listen to interesting speakers, as well as enjoy local entertainment in the evenings. It promises to be an exciting conference of action, sharing, and learning.

Volunteers will be camping at the beautiful Maramba Lodge and will spend their days planting trees at schools with children, forest areas with community leaders and on subsistence farms with the farmers. Misha Teasdale, co-founder of Greenpop says, “One of our big planting days will see 1000 trees planted in a day just a stone’s throw from the Magnificent Victoria Falls in the Peace Park - practically right in the spray of the falls. We’re really excited for this.”

Besides their involvement with planting trees and education, volunteers will also have the opportunity to learn about relevant conservation issues through a series of workshops and lectures. These will be hosted by local and international environmental experts.