Businesses like Renovators Paradise help us create native habitats and regenerate our forests. When business owner Simon approached us over a decade ago to reduce his company’s carbon footprint, we jumped at the opportunity to work together.

Simon’s business is unique. Renovators Paradise specialises in reclaimed building materials, encouraging both recycling and upcycling. Their work not only diverts valuable materials from landfill but also celebrates the craftsmanship of bygone eras through products rarely seen in today’s construction industry. The treasures they salvage add character and style to both old and new homes alike.

Since 2012, we’ve been planting 15 trees for every car in Simon’s fleet. This year, with his continued support, another 100 native trees have gone into the ground, bringing Simon’s total to an impressive 1,380 trees planted.

This year we planted Simon’s trees with Friends of the Forgotten Woodlands Inc (FOFW) at the south end of Bryans Swamp, nestled in the Victorian Valley of Gariwerd/Grampians National Park. The area has been largely cleared apart from remnant River Red Gums in the wetter areas.

FOFW are a not-for-profit group whose mission is to restore the missing keystone species that were once in abundance across the Victoria Volcanic Plains (VVP), focusing on 3 species (Silver Banksia, Drooping Sheoak and Sweet Bursaria). The VVP stretches from Melbourne to Hamilton. Much of this vegetation was cleared early on by European settlers, which resulted in fragmented remnants (some of which are 100s of kilometres apart) of what was once dense woodlands.

Eighteen (18) people attended the planting, including one member who drove all the way from Melbourne (taking a RDO) to help plant. This was an unusual planting in that the group only planted one species of tree – the Silver Banksia. The seedlings were grown from seed collected from 15 provinces across the Volcanic Plains to provide genetically diverse seeds that can be harvested for future plantings. Interestingly, some of the provinces include seeds from drier areas. This is to ensure genetically robust seeds that can survive a drier and warmer climate.

The Friends of Forgotten Woodlands Inc. are incredibly grateful for the generous donation to help us do what we love most. Being a Friends group, we apply for any grants that come our way, however anyone who has done this knows the time involved in filing out grant applications. To have such a significant donation of trees made to us because someone believes in what we do is very heartwarming. On behalf of all FOFW, thank you so much.

Aggie Stevenson |President | Friends of Forgotten Woodlands Inc.

The area is home to a broad range of native animals including Grey Kangaroos, Dunnarts, Wallabies, Growling Grass Frogs, Brolga, dozens of bird species such as Brolga and Black Swans.

We also thank Simon for the additional funding for tree guards. These guards help protect the new seedlings and gives them protection from grazers, in particular rabbits and kangaroos. Inside the plastic sleeves, the microclimate created protects the seedlings from harsh UV, drifting sand, frost, and wind. Once the seedlings survive their first summer and get the opportunity to develop a strong taproot, their chances of survival skyrockets.

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.