When Pana Barbounis turned 40 last month he phoned to ask if I could help him organise a tree planting day with his friends and family. He was keen to plant 1000 trees and gather some tree funds in lieu of birthday presents. Pana owns the delicious Pana Chocolates. His chocolates are organic, raw and handmade.  His new shop in Richmond is a hit with delights such as ‘mango and salted caramel’ and ‘sour cherry and vanilla’. They can be sourced from many many shops throughout Australia.

Hi Pana,

It was a delight to meet you all today and both my wife and I enjoyed being with your family. The children were terrific and I am glad you all enjoyed the day out.

Thanks for your contribution to this project through Colleen and Fifteen Trees. With the assistance of the motorbike group, 1,000 trees and shrubs were planted in that little valley.

The work your family did today helped in the recovery of a creek showing signs of tunnel erosion and in need of stabilisation. In the process a valuable corridor will be formed for small birds and mammals that follow this water source from the hill tops down through the valley, offering protection and food sources.

Steve Joblin | Coordinator | Flowerdale Landcare

Thank you to Steve and Heather for helping to organise the planting day, to the motorcycle group for rocking up and getting some work done and of course to Pana (family and friends) for spending a Sunday out in the hills of Flowerdale helping to revegetate this small section of bushland.

If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.

Writer: Colleen B. Filippa

With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.