JOHOR BAHRU: Tree planting can help sustain the environment and seven rotary Clubs teamed up with schools here to plant trees.

In their drive to positively impact the environment, six rotary clubs in Johor namely the Johor Bahru, Kulai, Impian Emas, JB Sentral, Puteri Lagoon Rotary Clubs together with the Kota Kinabalu Rotary Club members who flew in to help, teamed up with 10 schools including an international school here to plant trees for tomorrow.

The rotary members from District 3310 and some 100 students from these schools took part in the Environment Sustainability Project by planting 59 trees at Sireh Park, Iskandar Puteri recently.

This is the first time in history where seven rotary clubs joined hands towards tackling climate change.

In his address at the start of the tree planting project, Dato’ Mohd Noh Ibrahim, the organizing chairman said this is what Rotary International aims to do.

“Rotary has seven areas of focus and one of them is eco friendliness,” he said.

He said this tree planting project is a continuation of the Rotary Club of Johor Bahru’s beach clean-up held at Stulang Laut last year where heaps of rubbish were collected from the seaside for proper disposal.

“So by planting these trees, we are making the environment conducive for humans to live in. You know that we take oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, and when there are no trees, the air is so harsh,” he said.

He said that when we breathe out carbon dioxide, the trees absorb it and give us more freshness.

He stressed that we are doing this to keep the environment clean, take care of our health and adhere to eco-friendly practices.

He explained further that the rotary clubs chose these schools to participate in this tree planting programme as they already have Interactors in schools.

“This is also an opportunity to encourage the students to be eco-friendly,” he said, adding that it the students also get to know the benefits of planting trees.

He also mentioned that the rotary clubs would continue to monitor the growth of the trees and ensure that they don’t die off so that the purpose for which they were planted in the first place is achieved.

“Rotary International has a project monitoring corps that monitors all the projects to avoid wastage and ensure they are sustained, plus to ensure that the purpose for which they are carried out are achieved,” he said.

He also went on to say embracing the environment presents a perfect opportunity to showcase Rotary to the younger generation; through schools, Interacts and Rotaract clubs.

“They represent both the future of Rotary and the future of our planet,” he emphasised.

Mohd Noh said that each tree planted has a ‘QR’ code so that the next generation will know not only the name of the person who planted it but also the date and time of the deed.

Speaking to ApaKhabar TV, Freddie Lee, Johor-Melaka Regional Chair for Rotary District 3310 on Environmental Sustainability said environmental degradation and global climate change are serious threats to mankind.

“They are having a disproportionate impact on those who are most vulnerable, those to whom Rotary has the greatest responsibility. Yet environmental issues rarely register on the Rotary agenda,” Freddie said.

“The time when environmental sustainability can be dismissed as not Rotary’s concern has long passed. It is, and must be, everyone’s concern,” he said.

Freddie said he was happy with the turnout at the tree planting programme as helping to keep the air we breathe clean is everyone’s core responsibility

“Trees make communities and ecosystems more resilient to climate change. Not only do they pull carbon out of the atmosphere, they help communities and ecosystems adapt to extreme weather events,” he said.

He pointed out that as carbon sinks, trees help cool the earth by removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it within their roots, stems and leaves.

He added that trees also build long-term climate resilience by helping regulate the water cycle, reducing soil erosion and the risk of landslides, floods and droughts, while also purifying the air and providing habitats that house biodiversity and maintain genetic diversity of species.

Meanwhile Rotary Club of Impian Emas president Edmund Khoo said “When we plant these trees, they will provide habitat and food for countless birds, small mammals and insects and by planting them here, we hope to increase the overall biodiversity and share this space with different creatures.”

“Planting a tree that provides the shade for the next generation is a quintessential civilized act,” he said.

The day’s programme began with a Zumba dance followed by trekking up the slope for the tree planting. Present for the occasion was Dato’ Zainie Abdul Aucasa, District Environment Chair from Sabah.

Also present were presidents of the seven Rotary clubs and their officials, Institut Latihan Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (ILKKM) officials, Interactors and teachers from the participating schools.