In case you hadn’t noticed, Christmas seems to be approaching. There is an air of well-intentioned panic in the air, as swarms of people race around to purchase material goods for their loved ones, hoping that this year, the candlestick/photoframe/novelty mug won’t end up in an op-shop three weeks later. Gifting can be a tricky business, both on a personal and an ethical level. But there is a way around it. We have been so filled with gladness this year to see many people buying trees as gifts for friends, family members and colleagues. So far, 308 trees, with more coming in as the day draws nearer. No panic involved, no rushing around, no looming landfill problem. Simply a loving thought, a promise of life, and a practical gesture of solidarity with our struggling planet. And with that in mind, fifteen (15) trees have been planted on the behalf of: Bakery Hill Kindergarten teachers, from your biggest fans - the kids! Josh from Tegan Burn. Josh had said 'buy me trees instead of presents', Selene Dudley Bateman from Melita Slieker-Bateman, Brenda & Carly Savy from Stella Savy, Richard & Jill Savy from Stella Savy, Bette Goode from David Goode, Secret recipient from Emily Paige Duggen, Secret recipient from Stacey Jones, Vivienne Maynard-Horner from Jane Randell and the Foreign Correspondent's Association, Secret recipient from Peter Lambert, Secret recipient from Louise Le Feuvre, Dianne Lee from Andre Bonnice (2 X 15 trees), Sarah Exner from Andre Bonnice, Lincoln Turner & Penny Tangey from Marian Turner, Froebel Parkville Kinder Room from Marian Turner, Ed & Irene from Lucy Bracey, Family members from Fifteen Trees (2 X 15), 'In loving memory of Riley and Charlotte Lange ' from your friends and colleagues at G.J. Gardner Homes Essendon Fields. The trees purchased (308) have been planted, and gift recipients will be able to see them when they receive a card. They’ve gone in the ground on Phillip Island VIC, on a site owned by the Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School at Cowes. They will provide habitat, wind breaks, and increased biodiversity and soil integrity for decades to come. They will also help to educate the school children who planted them, and those who will enjoy them in the future, about environmental issues. The more of our young people who grow up with a connection to the land that supports them, the better. [caption id="attachment_10433" align="aligncenter" width="809"] Tree planting day at Phillip Island.[/caption] The Phillip Island Landcare group has helped facilitate a planting activity at the Our Lady Star of the Sea School, in Cowes on Saturday August 3 rd , 2019. 54 people attended the planting day helping to plant and protect 500 plants around the southern perimeter of the school grounds. These plants will contribute significantly to the environmental improvement of the area and connect to existing areas of vegetation. Having the school community to take part in this event helps the students feel ownership of their school landscape. Geoff Trease | Bass Coast Landcare We are all reeling from the early, savage start to Australia’s fire season. We are all anxious about what it means for our future. So many of us feel the need to do something, to start somewhere, somehow. This is one small way to start. Every act of gifting and every dollar we spend says something. It tells a story about what we want our world to look like, as well as how we love. Article by Sarah Hart Sarah is an artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form.

Wine, as any aficionado will tell you, is a holistic experience – you taste, smell, swirl, describe, hunt for metaphors, tell other people about it, look for the quirkiest or most picturesque cellar door, then go liking to find out how the wine was made and by whom. Wine is ultimately about connection. To the story in the bottle, to the land from which it came. Gundog Estate is a winery with stories aplenty, and a thriving social and environmental conscience to go with it. Its cellar doors are located in an historic schoolhouse and stables in Pokolbin and Gundaroo respectively. Grapes are sourced from the Hunter, Hilltop and Canberra wine regions. Gundog is proud of its semillon, shiraz, rose and fortified wines. It is also justifiably proud of its social and environmental commitments. [caption id="attachment_10387" align="aligncenter" width="884"] Australian Conservation Foundation planting trees/shrubs kindly donated by Gundog Estate.[/caption] Alongside its partnership with Path2Change , which aims to combat homelessness in the Newcastle region, Gundog has recently partnered with Fifteen Trees to combat climate change in, well, the planetary region. Gundog has come up with a range of ways to encourage its customers to get in on the action: Fifteen Trees currently plant one tree for every new membership to Gundog Estate’s Barrel Club and ten trees per year for every employee at Gundog Estate. Customers are also given the option to purchase a tree at checkout (online and at the cellar door). Via the Wine Club, members are also given the opportunity to purchase tree vouchers during quarterly distributions. Our ongoing supporters give our sustainable enterprise stability and the capacity to plan, and we’re so happy to have Gundog on board. So far we have arranged for their first lot of trees to be planted under the Westgate Bridge in Victoria, with the second lot to be planted at a yet to be determined site in NSW (stay tuned). The committed winemakers behind Gundog Estate aim to leave their land in better shape than it was when they walked on to it. By partnering with Fifteen Trees, they are also doing the same for the earth. A refined and earthy cheers to that! Article by Sarah Hart. Sarah is a self-taught artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form.

On Sunday October 20th, a small group of people weathered the weather and met up on a cold spring morning under the Westgate Bridge to go tree planting. The group consisted of Raveena Grace, her auntie (Vinita from Bhumi Organic Cotton ) and uncle, an adorable cousin Shyla, her mother, brother and her grandparents (Hari and Narinda Chopra). Along with the Grace Family, were Melissa and Charlie, both myself and Albert from Fifteen Trees, Barbara and Nel, Mollie and Gabby from Day Seven and Grace's friend Chris Dixon. The trees (and shrubs and grasses) we planted were generously purchased for Westgate Park by Raveena's grandparents, Hari and Narinda. These 600 trees represent the 6 grandchildren of the Grace family. One hundred trees per grandchild. What a beautiful legacy! [caption id="attachment_10321" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Grace Family.[/caption] Thank you Raveena for pulling us all together to go tree planting. A special thank you also to Tony Flude, George Fotheringham and their team from Westgate Biodiversity who manage Westgate Park . The founder of the Park, 19 year old Naomie Sunner, discovered the Park back in 1999. She thought this neglected, abandoned park – the closest she could get to the river mouth – was nonetheless beautiful and had such potential! When she realised that there was no-one looking after the Park, she started her own group called Friends of Westgate Park. Both Tony and George were 2 early members. Twenty years later it is wonderful to see all the new vegetation in the Park and the return of the native plants and animals. In particular the water birds. While we were there on Sunday we spotted swans and their signets. Spring is here! Like Naomie, I can see Raveena also making a positive impact on our environment. Loving the planet and taking a leadership role within the environmental movement. I shall be watching this woman closely! Sláinte – Colleen Colleen Filippa is the Founder and Director of Fifteen Trees. This year, Fifteen Trees celebrates 10 years. To be part of the movement of people looking to make a tangible contribution to our community groups and our native environment, contact Colleen at <filippa@15trees.com.au> or on 0400 040 659.

It’d be a rare adventurer these days who hasn’t stayed in an Airbnb. What’s not to love – unique stays, homely touches, quirks galore, often an interesting host or astonishing architectural feature to tell stories about when you get home. Airbnb has changed the holiday landscape forever, and for the better. As one might expect from anyone involved in an innovative property management model, Airbnb hosts are increasingly inviting guests to consider the environment. In some cases it’s simply a matter of necessity. Many of us – in numbers that will only increase – live in areas where water restrictions are a seasonal certainty. But in broader terms, we are all increasingly aware of the climate change threat, and of our responsibilities to the one planet we have. Airbnb is keeping up with the developing ethics of its clientele. If we’re guests, we like to know that our hosts are taking steps to offset some of the environmental costs associated with running a small business and maintaining a property. If we’re hosts, we like to encourage guests to appreciate that their adventures away from home do leave traces upon the earth. [caption id="attachment_10293" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Wyobie One, Manly, NSW.[/caption] There are many small ways hosts can role model good environmental citizenship. Most of us already do some of them in our own homes – we might encourage recycling, use eco-cleaners, minimise heating and cooling needs through sensible furnishing, a whole raft of modest but useful measures. There are also more macro ways to help – purchase green power for Airbnb properties, for example, or choose banks with good environmental credentials. We can also plant trees. [caption id="attachment_10294" align="alignleft" width="401"] Jill Gilchrist[/caption] Fifteen Trees has partnered with a number of Airbnb hosts over the past couple of years. The aim is to plant one for every guest who stays at an Airbnb property. Jill Gilchrist is our most recent host to plant trees on behalf of guests. Jill is an Airbnb host who lets out her lovely home, Wyobie One near Manly in Sydney. Wyobie One already featured eco-friendly features like bamboo toilet paper and composting facilities. Now, for every booking made, a tree is planted. The tree isn’t planted in a Manly backyard. It might be planted in any of Fifteen Trees’ partner projects – up in the high country of Victoria, or over in Western Australia, or, as in Jill’s case, on the outskirts of the very successful ongoing revegetation project in the new Woowookarung State Forest Victoria. Jill's guests might never see these trees. But, like Airbnb itself, this is a partnership about connection and mutual benefit. It’s about making links all over the world, creating a more vibrant, sustainable society where we can both play and breathe for many years to come. [caption id="attachment_10291" align="aligncenter" width="917"] Trees (30) planted on Jill's behalf.[/caption] If you’re an Airbnb host and are interested in upping your eco credentials, please contact us. We can get you started by planting 15 trees (@$4.80/tree) on your behalf and sending you a PDF poster you can display outlining your support to your guests. Plus we’ll feature you here so you can link back to your trees from your end. Article by Sarah Hart. Sarah is an emerging self-taught artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form.

Every now and then, when I see something amazingly fabulous ... I wonder if I can do an eco-deal! Trees in exchange for goods or services. Jack is the founder of Birdwood Co Designs , Warrnambool. At Birdwood, he makes the most beautiful custom made furniture and platters. Jack's ambition is to create timeless objects that serve the practical needs of the individual and to allow furniture to obey time, aging gracefully. Inspired by the natural attributes of timber Jack creates pieces to furnish indoors and enhance spaces. Jack maintains the traditional skills of handcrafted workmanship to utilise the uniqueness of the materials sourced. He aims to use reclaimed and sustainably sourced materials. Jack spends his days at his new framing shop ( Henna Street Picture Framers ) and after work, he is in the shed working on his side business, Birdwood Co Designs. The eco-deal that Jack and I came up with was .... 100 trees in exchange for a meter long platter. Jack's trees were planted in his home-town of Warrnambool (Vic) by Jane O'Beirne and the Hopkin Falls Landcare Group. We had a delightful group of 15 students from The Gnurad-Gundidj Campus at Glenormiston arrive to help with tree planting. With recent rain the Hopkins Falls is an impressive display of 'nature at is best'. After short demonstration of tree planting we split into groups around the site at Hopkins Falls and students did some preparation with weeding, spreading mulch and then the planting native trees and grasses. I would like to thank Bianca, Toby & all students, for productive day and also very big thank-you to Fifteen Trees & Birdwood for providing trees also thanks to Richard Hodgens from Moyne Shire for helping on day and providing equipment for students. Jane O'Beirne | Secretary | Hopkins Falls Landcare Group [caption id="attachment_10205" align="aligncenter" width="826"] Students planting at Hopkins Falls.[/caption] Thank you Jack for your beautiful craft. I look forward to summer days in the orchard entertaining, and your platter being in the centre of everything and everyone!. Sláinte - Colleen

Oblong (UK) Ltd are a data processing business based in Southam, England. Established in 2006, they have 4 core products; Data Enhancement, Business List Sales, Data Analysis and Data Processing. And now they are branching into a new area - helping companies to become carbon neutral. This is where Fifteen Trees comes in! Oblong UK have worked hard to calculate the carbon footprint of not only their own company but of their customers too. Keeping the process simple, the Oblong team now offer their customers the opportunity to run carbon neutral. As such, they have gone looking to find responsible suppliers from around the world, to plant trees on their behalf and lead them towards becoming carbon neutral. The Oblong Trees website was launched just last week and this dynamic group have already pledged 2,000 trees. Fifteen Trees is very proud to be the Australian tree planters for Oblong. We are starting small with our first planting for Oblong with 50 trees! In this case, the trees were planted on a frosty winter's morning in the Murrindindi Shire of Victoria, Australia (37°25′37″S 145°8′11″E). This project is part of a broad biodiversity project to link native habitat from Mount Disappointment State Forest to King Parrot Creek. Observers have already noted long-nosed bandicoot activity around the creek and anticipate that the native vegetation corridor will allow the creatures to expand their habitat. With more safe room to move, the local fauna have a greater chance of surviving and thriving. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Trees for Oblong[/caption] This project wouldn’t have happened without the hard work of local Landcare groups, the enthusiasm and experience of the landowners, the careful nurturing of the trees by local plant nurseries, the coordinating efforts of organisations like Fifteen Trees and the conscious decision to make changes for the better by companies such as Oblong UK. A whole chain of intentions perfectly aligned to bring some balance back to our natural environment. [caption id="attachment_10125" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The hard working volunteers from the Mirrumbindi Region.[/caption] Thank you to Dan Whiteman and Oblong UK for finding Fifteen Trees and for giving us the opportunity to be part of your Oblong Trees network. Sláinte - Colleen Colleen Filippa is the Director and Founder of Fifteen Trees. This year, Fifteen Trees celebrates 10 years of working with communities and their tree planting projects.

Ross Morley, Managing Director of G. J. Gardner Homes has been supporting our native environment (through Fifteen Trees) since 2013. By the end of this year, Ross and the team at GJG will have helped plant over 56,000 trees across Victoria and Tasmania. For every new home built, Fifteen Trees organises the planting of 15 trees in the local district. This year alone, the relationship between G.J. Gardner Homes and Fifteen Trees, will see over 11,000 trees planted by schools, landcare and various environmental groups. The partnership with Fifteen Trees, allows G.J. Gardner teams to go into the field for some team building activities as well as help support the local community. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-7428" src="https://15trees.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GJGLogo_NO-TAG_WHITE_BG_lrg-1024x268.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 378px) 100vw, 378px" srcset="https://15trees.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GJGLogo_NO-TAG_WHITE_BG_lrg-150x39.jpg 150w, https://15trees.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GJGLogo_NO-TAG_WHITE_BG_lrg-300x79.jpg 300w, https://15trees.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GJGLogo_NO-TAG_WHITE_BG_lrg-1024x268.jpg 1024w" alt="" width="378" height="99" /> Ben Longhurst and Caitlin Hamston from G. J. Gardner Homes Bacchus Marsh are generous supporters of local community groups and their tree planting projects. This year, Ben and Caitlin purchased 735 trees for the Grow West Community Planting Day. This year, this annual event was held on Sunday 21st July and drew in a crowd of 300 people. Together they planted 4,000 indigenous plants across 123 hectares. [caption id="attachment_10164" align="aligncenter" width="799"] Huge community tree planting event.[/caption] It’s very exciting to run our annual community planting day at a location that will directly benefit the Werribee Gorge State Park. This will occur through nature corridors established on private properties. It is an ambitious project and by participating in the 2019 planting day, G.J. Gardner you are helping to reform this important nature corridor for threatened wildlife such as the Swift Parrot and Brush-tailed Phascogale. With a bit of work from dedicated volunteers, and your support in purchasing our trees, this park has the potential to be a significant community asset and improve the health of the local environment and community. Helena Lindorff | Environmental Projects Officer | Grow West [caption id="attachment_10165" align="aligncenter" width="861"] Some of the volunteers.[/caption] The plantings took place at two properties in Ingliston. The properties adjoin the W.James Whyte Island Reserve and are only a stone's throw from the Werribee Gorge State Park. Grow West's aim is to rejuvenate 10,000 hectares of land by creating nature links between the Brisbane Ranges National Park, Lerderderg Gorge State Park and Werribee Gorge State Park. Thank you to Ben and Caitlin for providing trees to Helena and her Grow West team to help revegetate the grasslands of the Western Plains. Sláinte – Colleen Colleen Filippa is the Founder & Director of Fifteen Trees. This year, the company celebrates 10 years. To be part of the movement of companies looking to make a tangible contribution to our rural communities and our native environment, contact Colleen at <filippa@15trees.com.au>.

Fifteen Trees Archives - fifteen trees

21 12, 2019

Nourishing us and the planet!
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Nourishing us and the planet!

Fifteen Trees, Tree Plantings, Tree Plantings in Victoria

Nourishing us and the planet!

By Colleen Filippa|2019-12-23T12:22:07+11:00December 21st, 2019|Fifteen Trees, Tree Plantings, Tree Plantings in Victoria|0 Comments

Essence Food for the Soul is where 'beautiful meals and feel good food is made'. Located on the Morning Peninsula, Essence combine passion for all things delicious to create meals that are truly nourishment for the soul. And now they are providing nourishment for the planet in partnership with Fifteen Trees. Mel, Jim and the team are planting one tree for each of their stockists (60) [...]