Ballarat Yoga and Yogaville Is there anything that embodies the concept of balance more succinctly than yoga’s iconic tree pose (Vrksasana)? How fitting then that one of our most recent tree plantings happened courtesy of two beautiful yoga studios – Yogaville in Melbourne’s inner north, and Ballarat Iyengar Yoga . Both studios practice Iyengar yoga. Iyengar is a form of Hatha yoga with an emphasis on alignment, precision and harmony. Its practitioners seek balance in all things. The underlying philosophy is broader than simply maintaining a physical pose – it includes an awareness of how our actions affect the world around us. By planting trees, Ballarat Yoga and Yogaville are countering the environmental costs of running their small businesses. Even service-based enterprises cannot operate without some environmental impact. This includes incidentals associated with maintaining a physical space for practice, with the journeys to and fro that students take, with all the varied parts of the small business puzzle that each take their incremental toll on the earth’s resources. [caption id="attachment_10125" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The hard working volunteers from the Murrindindi Shire of Victoria.[/caption] In this case, 190 trees were planted on a frosty June morning in the Murrindindi shire as part of a broader project to link the Mount Disappointment State Forest to King Parrot Creek. As a result of this planting the Strath Creek Biodiversity Project is now complete. 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_10126" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Trees have been well protected with tree guards.[/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 tree nurseries, the coordinating efforts of organisations like Fifteen Trees and the conscious decision to make changes for the better by businesses like Ballarat Yoga and Yogaville. A whole chain of intentions perfectly aligned to bring some balance back to our natural environment. Namaste Bron Rust (Yogaville) and Shayna Odgen (Ballarat Yoga). 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. Facebook – Sarah Hart Creative. If you are interested in sponsoring one of our tree planting projects please contact Colleen on 0400 040 650 or filippa@15trees.com.au 270 trees: 90 Yogaville / 100 Ballarat Iyengar Yoga / EcoT 40 / OblongUK 40

There can be a special sort of poetry to incorporating tree-planting into a business model. Bask Aromatherapy owner Siobhan McCuskey is passionate about the environment – and about using natural, plant-based ingredients in her own aromatherapy practice and luxurious range of day spa-esque products. She has teamed up with Fifteen Trees to connect the circle of nourishment by planting one tree for every online order. This time round we planted 500 trees on behalf of Bask Aromatherapy . These were purchased from an independant native nursery and planted in winter 2018 on Steve and Heather Joblin’s Flowerdale property in the Murrindindi Shire. Steve and Heather are committed Flowerdale Landcare members, and have been working on improving habitat corridors and encouraging indigenous revegetation on their property (as well as in the broader community) for over twenty years. Bask Aromatherapy’s trees were planted on a site set aside for a project called ‘Trees for Bees’. The project involves replacing sustainably harvested non-indigenous Tasmanian Bluegums with Red Box, Yellow Box, Grey Box, and Red Stringybark, as well as suitable ground flora and sub-canopy species. The resulting growth will provide a diverse corridor of cover for local fauna, as well as great nectar sources for bees. The importance of establishing healthy native flora corridors, particularly on privately owned property, cannot be overstated. Without the cooperation and generosity of landowners, and of mindful sponsors like Bask Aromatherapy , our beautiful reserves and parks can become islands. When our local fauna can traverse the landscape safely, carrying native seeds, encouraging bees and insects and slowing erosion, ecosystems are given a buffer against fire, disease, and other threats. Bask Aromatherapy , like our Landcare friends Steve and Heather, believe that individuals of all kinds can make a difference. Siobhan can’t plant five hundred trees in the middle of Melbourne – but by reaching out to us on behalf of her customers she has tapped into a community of change. And now there is a small but flourishing brand-new bee-friendly forest making its slow and steady way into the heart of the Victorian landscape. [gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="9814,9632" orderby="rand"] Sarah Hart | Fifteen Trees | March 26th 2019

Last year, we ran an Instagram campaign called ' Trees of Where I am ' and invited our followers to send in photos of trees they came across. Over the months, we collected 60 tree photos tagged with @15.trees and #treesofwhereIam, #treesofwhereyouare and #treesofinstagram. As a result of this campaign and to say thank you for joining in, we then went out and planted 60 trees - one tree for every photo submitted. [caption id="attachment_9920" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Trees of Where I am [/caption] We had photos from around Australia with many from within our home-state of Victoria but also from the Blue Mountains (NSW) and Roma (Queensland). However, we also had photos from far-away places like La Gomara Island (off the Spanish coast), England, Switzerland, Ireland, the Grand Cannon and Bali. We even had a photo of a tree during a luna eclipse (with Mars photo bombing). [caption id="attachment_9921" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Australian luna eclipse (July 17th 2018)[/caption] The trees were planted at one of our favourite places ... Marysville, Victoria. We have been giving trees to Steven and Heather Joblin for many many years. And from time to time we go planting with them and their team of volunteers. [caption id="attachment_9814" align="aligncenter" width="1440"] These trees have been planted to entice local bees back into the community. [/caption] We do have another campaign coming up. This campaign will revolve around Earth Day . We will be asking video (10-15sec) of your favourite tree . More to come. Keep an eye out on Instagram (15.trees) and Facebook . In the past we have run a Poetry Competition, an Ephemeral Art Competition as well as an Art Gallery Exhibition. We have conducted ' tree pose ' in parks and cities. We love campaigns and hooking in with like minded people and companies. Of course, every entry will have a tree planted as a thank you for joining in. Slainte - Colleen

Aaron and the team from Grill’d Ballarat take their burgers seriously. We love that we are given the option at their store to buy vegan and vegetarian burgers that are both delicious and kind to the planet. This is straight from their website .. The greatest gift is the gift of giving money to those in need. We love to give back to the local communities we call home. In June, Fifteen Trees was delighted to learn that we were being promoted for Local Matters at Grill’d Ballarat . That meant customers could vote for us by putting tokens into a jar with our name on it. We came up trumps and were awarded $300 for one of our tree planting projects. Thank you Grill'd and customers for voting for us. Your trees (90) have been planted. They were planted at the Westgate Reserve by RMIT students and Friends of Westgate Reserve. This area (right under the Westgate Bridge) has been earmarked to be Melbourne's lungs. More information can be found here at Parks Victoria. [caption id="attachment_9758" align="aligncenter" width="4032"] Kirstyn and son, Archer planting trees at the Westgate Reserve on National Tree Day.[/caption] Now back to those burgers! Are vegan and vegetarian burgers really better for the environment? YES! According to The Guardian, a vegetarian diet does deliver a decreased carbon footprint . But we need to look out for food miles (buying locally where possible) and only buy fruit and vegetables in season. Plus, food wastage is massive problem in this country. In the recent ABC series called War on Waste, they have calculated that Australians throw out one third of all the food they buy! [caption id="attachment_9788" align="aligncenter" width="667"] Craig Reucassel going to war! You can catch up on this series on ABC iView.[/caption] So, tread lightly upon the Earth my lovelies. Be a conscious consumer of food and buy wisely. Sláinte - Colleen

Fifteen Trees Archives - Page 2 of 18

Q: Mt Clear SC and The Orchard

Brian and Maree Harrison ( Harrison Funerals ) have once again donated trees to a local school in Ballarat. This time, 18 mature trees were planted at the Mt Clear Secondary College campus by Year 12 VCAL students. Through Fifteen Trees, Brian and Maree plant one mature tree for every funeral service they hold at their Main Rd, premises. Harrison Funerals ‘strive to ensure that every family’s funeral experience is a positive one and through (their) care and service (they) are able to ease some of the grief and assist the healing process’ . On behalf of Year 12 VCAL we would like to thank Fifteen Trees and Harrison Funerals for donating 18 fruit trees for our school grounds. We appreciate the donation you have supplied for not only our class but for the whole school environment. Vanessa Werner & Matthew Reyne | Mt Clear College | Senior VCAL [caption id="attachment_9834" align="aligncenter" width="803"] VCAL class of 2018[/caption] This post rounds off a 'year of mature tree planting' on the behalf of Maree and Brian Harrison. This year, we planted 93 trees at 5 sites: Pinarc (25), Mt Pleasant PS (20), Yuille Park (5), Delacombe PS (25) and Mt Clear SC (18). Big thank you to this generous couple who are constantly giving back to the community in which they live and work. Sláinte - Colleen

24 07, 2019

G.J. Gardner Homes Launceston and their 420 trees.
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G.J. Gardner Homes Launceston and their 420 trees.

Fifteen Trees, Tree Plantings in Tasmania

G.J. Gardner Homes Launceston and their 420 trees.

By Colleen Filippa|2019-07-24T11:16:51+10:00July 24th, 2019|Fifteen Trees, Tree Plantings in Tasmania|Comments Off on G.J. Gardner Homes Launceston and their 420 trees.

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, [...]