The average Australian lifestyle uses 15,000kg of carbon per year. If that sounds like a lot, it is. A tree collects and stores 268kg over its lifetime. This means, every year we need to plant 58 trees to bring our individual carbon consumption down to zero. A little tricky for most of us to do in our own backyards, which is where Fifteen Trees comes in. Last year, we set up Friends of Fifteen Trees Memberships, aiming to find sixty people willing to purchase sixty trees (we rounded up from 58) for us to plant on their behalf.
And we did it! Big love to everyone who joined.
2019 Membership trees (3,600) were planted across Tasmania. LandcareTAS were stoked to work with Fifteen Trees to source the right seedlings and find the best possible locations for the trees. We were recently lucky enough to meet with up with Landcare Wynyard (Northwest Tasmania) to visit one of the planting sites, on the banks of the glorious Inglis River. The trees were flourishing, storing away that carbon like the ‘climate champions’ they are.
Over the course of many months, LandcareTAS worked with 15 groups and individual members in 7 municipalities across Tasmania. The trees were planted in the Derwent and Meander Valleys, at Glamorgan-Spring Bay, over in Bernie and Launceston, Kingsborough and the Huon Valley.
We are all so very grateful to have the sponsorship from Friends of Fifteen Trees. You have enabled several long-term projects to continue. Formally logged forests have had natural regeneration efforts boosted, riverbanks have been stabilised, wildlife corridors extended, natives planted where weeds used to be, and conservation covenants maintained. Gosh that’s cheered me up just typing it! Don’t we all need a bit of positive news like that right now!
Priscilla Richards | Landcare Services Manager | LandcareTAS
Fifteen Trees members are of all ages, come from all walks of life, and hail from the widest variety of professions. We have artists, management professionals, yogis, teachers, activists, small business owners, musicians, retirees and more. What all of our members have in common is the desire to ask themselves what more they can do for the planet we all share. Each and every one of our members are amazing!
There are always ways to do more. This is an easy one. If you’d like to reduce your own carbon footprint to zero for the year, or give that gift to another, get in touch with us and become a member at Friend of Fifteen Trees. This year, we are aiming for 200 members. And that equates to 12,000 trees! A forest no less.
Colleen Filippa | Director | Fifteen Trees