Who doesn’t love electricity. I mean, you might not think about it much, but imagine your daily life without it…pretty bleak, right? We’re also very keen on electricians, because they tame and train the electricity, and we especially love electricians with an environmental conscience. Like Luke and Nick from Effective Electrical.

Luke, Nick, and their team of professionals will do most electrical work, including installing solar panel systems. Home solar is on fire. In fact, Australia has the highest uptake of household solar in the world. As of June 2020, over 2.46 million rooftop systems have been installed across the country, and there are no signs that demand is slowing.

This year, Effective Electrical has installed over 360 systems in the Ballarat region. We know this, because for every system Luke and Nick install, they partner with Fifteen Trees to plant five trees.

This winter Fifteen Trees has planted 1,450 trees at 3 Victorian sites on the behalf of Effective Electrical. At Sutherland, we planted 565 native trees, at Barford, 90 trees and another 795 trees with the Macorna Landcare Group at Tagowel.

Fifteen Trees organised some of the trees to be planted at Sutherland, VIC, just north of St Arnaud with the Buloke and Nth Grampians Landcare Network. Hayley and Luke Batters are keen to develop some of their land for biodiversity and soil improvement. And so turning hillside scour into a series of frog ponds, with assistance from family, friends and Landcare, 565 native species seedlings were planted.  Primarily Box, Gum, Buloke and Wattles, the trees will assist with storing carbon in the soil, prevent erosion, assist with water retention within the soil and help native species (like the Powerful Owl) through biodiversity linkages.

The property at Barfold consists of 185 acres of which approx. 70% is still native bushland. The new plantings will eventually become a wildlife bridge between two separate bushland areas, as can be seen in the image below.

And finally, 795 trees on the outskirts of the Tragowel township with Michael Shepard and the Macorna Landcare Group. This landcare group care deeply about their local environment and its future. The trees will provide a habitat for wildlife, especially their native birdlife; such as finches, parrots, galahs and cockatoos.

Solar is already doing its part for a cleaner, more sustainable future. We are thrilled that Effective Electrical – and their discerning clients – are doubling down on the environmental commitment by linking installations to plantings.  Imagine your daily life without trees…pretty bleak, right?

Here at Fifteen Trees, we are always happy to have a chat about the best way to incorporate sustainability into your organisation. We can help you to connect with the broader community and reduce some of your company’s environmental impacts. For more information on how we can partner with you, please contact Melinda at <[email protected]>.

Writer – 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. You can find Sarah here.