Big shout out to Marty Drill, Founder of Luminary, a digital agency that’s been around since 1999.

Luminary’s aim is to make digital bright and the human experience brighter. They have been carbon neutral for the last 4 years and are avid supporters of tree planting.

We are pleased to announce that Fifteen Trees is one of the beneficiaries of Luminary’s commitment to supporting the environment. We now annually plant trees on behalf of the team at Luminary.

Tree planting in 2021

This year Marty and a small team of 7 headed to Herring Island, Richmond to plant 500 native grasses, shrubs and trees. They were assisted by Parks Vic, Stanley from Friends of Herring Island and Colleen and Jules from Fifteen Trees.

Full story here

Tree planting in 2020

This year we we able to plant 100 trees due to Luminary’s generosity. The trees were planted in September in the Northern Grampians District of Victoria by Andrew Borg and the Buloke Landcare Group. The group are planting trees to create a bio-link between creeks, dams and ponds in the area. The trees will also improve biodiversity and soil conditions.

Luminary also kicked in for the tree guards for these trees. A tree guard helps protect the new seedling and gives it a protection from grazers, in particular rabbits and kangaroos. Inside the plastic sleeves, a microclimate helps protect them from harsh UV, drifting sand, frost and wind. Once the seedlings survive their first summer, and get the opportunity to develop a strong tap-root, their chances of survival skyrockets. All our community groups use tree guards to protect the trees. Sometimes, they can reuse ones taken from previous plantings. However, often there is too much damage to the plastic and stakes and they need to purchase new ones. This is where Marty and Luminary have stepped in to assist.

Tree planting in 2019

We love going out planting with companies who ‘walk the talk‘. Those companies who make sustainability the norm in the workplace. Who go beyond what is expected! One such company is Luminary. A creative digital business who has not only completed a carbon audit and gone completely carbon neutral but who have also joined forces with Fifteen Trees and chipped in to purchase 500 trees for one of our favourite revegetation sites … Westgate Park.

Big shout out to Marty Drill, Founder of Luminary. Luminary turned 20 this year and what a way to celebrate! Marty not only purchased the trees, but also arranged for staff, family and friends to join with Fifteen Trees and Biodiversity Westgate to spend a morning, helping plant 535 native trees, understory shrubs and grasses. The indigenous plants were sourced from local nursery Bili Nursery

The Biodiversity Westgate Group is engaged in a very successful re-vegetation program at the park which involves annual planting of 25,000 trees. As these trees grow, the biodiversity of the area is improving. It is becoming a popular place for both people and for the birds and animals that choose to make the park their home. The Park is managed by Parks Victoria with a lot of input from Westgate Biodiversity and Friends of Westgate Park. Over the years, there has been extensive plantings of indigenous trees and shrubs. As a result of the re-vegetation work, Westgate Park is ‘now a haven for a variety of bird species including stilts, ibis, spoonbills, ducks, gulls, coots, pelicans, swans and moorhens’.

Thank you Marty and team for spending your precious Sunday morning planting with us. And thank you too for your generous purchase of 500 trees. Happy 20th birthday!

Sláinte – Colleen

If you would like Fifteen Trees to organise a team building day with your company, contact Melinda at <[email protected]> or on 0400 040 659.  In the meantime, you can find out more information here. Did you know that 93% of Victorians believe business and industry should take action to be more sustainable (Sustainability Vic 2017).