December 10, 2024

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SÜK. Working for the environment.

SÜK Workwear are working for the environment. They also have deep commitment to Paying The Rent via regular donations to WAR, along with a need to protect the native bushland. With hundreds of trees and native bushes now steadily growing in rural Victoria, it is safe to say they are succeeding in this admirable mission.

TREES PLANTED

1,865

SÜK Workwear are working for their local community. They also have deep commitment to Paying The Rent via regular donations to WAR, along with a need to protect native bushland. With almost trees and native bushes now steadily growing in rural Australia, it is safe to say they are succeeding in this admirable mission.

 

 

The SÜK Workwear backstory is impressive. Spending her twenties on building sites, farms and long-haul ships, SÜK founder and creative director Mimosa Schmidt knows what it means to get her hands dirty. Often working in hyper masculine spaces, at times being the only woman on site, during these formative years she also learnt what it means to be watched on the job. Her femininity, in the context of hard labour, was still wrongly seen to imply weakness, incompetence, and inexperience.

And from that an idea spawned – to make workwear for all bodies. Function, sexuality, fluidity, integrity and fierceness combine in these garments, whose design champions feminine expression, rather than attempting to dismiss and disguise under the usual workwear norm.

 

SÜK have partnered with Fifteen Trees to support community tree planting projects.

 

Equally impressive is the company’s commitment to live by their ethics. This means SÜK’s fabric never includes chemicals harmful to your skin, nor does its production have any harmful ecological impact. In sum – SÜK’s fabric is human and earth-friendly.

And now they are helping us with our tree planting projects with regular purchases of native trees for our community revegetation projects.

 

Esperance, WA | 300 trees | 2025

Over the course of the winter, at Esperance Kea Kurl Boodja Country, home of the Wudjari People, 1,000 native trees were planted with a group of community members from Active Tree Planting Group. This group led a community tree planting event for the district with the aim to restore a significant size of land back to its original vegetation. The site is directly adjacent to the Dalyup Creek, a degraded water resource in much need of attention.

 

Setting up for the day. Image Rosie Henderson.

 

The trees planted will form an integral feature of the landscape, providing a microclimate for shrubs, grasses and sedges to grow in the strata below their canopy. One tree species that is important to the area is Eucalyptus occidentalis, or Yate. Numerous Yate trees were planted as part of this project. The Yate is a deep-rooted tall tree that assists in salinisation remediation, i.e. they assist with keeping salt in the deeper layers of the soil. Over time, the new Yate trees will provide habitat for the local fauna, through long term development of hollows, roosting sites and flowers. Yate Swamp are also listed as a Priority Ecological Community under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Rehabilitating the Yate ecosystem assists in conserving an ecological community identified as under threat.

 

We learnt that we work hard caring for Country means some part of Country comes with you. Like the dirt under our fingernails and the mud in our shoes, the knots in our hair from the wind, the sun our faces. This helps us feel connected through the physical evidence of our hands in the soil.

Thank you to everyone for your support for this unique and important project.

Amy Steele | Member | Activate Tree Planting

 

Some snaps from tree planting day. Images Rosie Henderson.

 

Some of the wildlife that live in this district include tiger snakes, dugites, meeky miners, pink and grey galahs, and kangaroos.

 

Westgate Park, VIC | 100 trees | 2024

Westgate Biodiversity and Bili Nursery & Landcare Inc. together manage Westgate Park in Port Melbourne. This community-based not-for-profit organisation is based at the foot of one of Melbourne’s most iconic and main transport arterials from the West to the city, Westgate Bridge.

 

Westgate Park, Port Melbourne / Naarm. 

 

Westgate Biodiversity Inc not only grow and sell locally indigenous plants, but they are working passionately to transform Westgate Park into a natural, bush-like place for people to enjoy, and provide habitat for the local native wildlife. It was here that we planted the 100 trees generously sponsored by the team at SÜK Workwear.

 

Volunteers of Westgate Park. George, Bruce and Annie.

 

A huge variety of native species of trees and shrubs were planted at the site. Species such as; Acacias (Heath Wattle, Golden Prickly Wattle, Silver Wattle, Lightwood, Coastal Wattle, Black Wattle and Blackwood), Sheoakes (Black, Swamp, Green and Drooping), Saltbushes (Grey and Marsh), Banksias (Coastal and Silver), Correas (White, Smooth and Common), Eucalyptus (Red River Gum, Yellow Gum, Melbourne White Ironbark, Yellow Box, Swamp Gum, Snow Gum, Narrow-leaf Peppermint and Manna Gum), Grevillas (Anglesea and Rosemary), Hakeas (Silky, Yellow and Furze), Heath (Pink, Coast and Common Beard) Melaleucas (Swamp Paperbark, Moonah and Scented Paperbark), and Bush-peas (Large, Clustered, Rough and Slender). A greater variety in plants corresponds to a greater variety of food sources for our unique native wildlife. These plant species will flower and fruit at different times throughout the year, thus providing a continuous banquet of food for insects, invertebrates, reptiles, bats, birds and mammals.

 

Trees and shrubs are propagated from seeds collected within 10km radius of the park.

 

Planting not only native but indigenous trees and shrubs, is vitally important in our restoration projects. Here’s a few reasons why;

  • they have the best chance of successful establishment,
  • they can adapt to nutrient poor soils, therefore no need to provide additional fertilisers,
  • they require very little pest management intervention as they adapt to the grazing and browsing pressures of local wildlife.
  • they require minimal watering, most are drought tolerant and many require annual drying/wetting cycles,
  • they are great for soil stabilisation, most are deep rooted, and
  • they create a great habitat and food resources to attract birds, butterflies and other beneficial native pollinating insects and wildlife.

You can read more about ‘Why Indigenous Plants Rule’ in our blogpost here.

 

Inverleigh, VIC | 800 trees | 2023

Native tree species planted at this site included River-red gum, Yellow gum, Manna gum, Sweet Bursaria, Wirilda and Lightwood. All trees were sourced from local indigenous nursery at Western Plains Flora and planted by volunteers from the Koala Clancy Foundation  in the Brisbane Ranges (VIC).

The Wadawurrung are a recognised tribe (community) of this district, which consisted of some 25 clans that forms part of the Kulin Nation of Aboriginal people.

 

Volunteers from Koala Clancy at the Inverleigh site.

 

At Inverleigh, VIC a small population of wild koalas are just hanging on. Many years ago all the woodland around them was cut down, isolating these koalas. Now modern landholders are keen to revegetate the streams, but they need our expert help. This project will restore an endangered ecosystem in a region that has lost 87% of its natural forest. This planting will effectively double the habitat for these koalas, giving them a lifeline.

Many thanks to the team at SÜK Workwear for your generous contribution.

Janine Duffy | President | Koala Clancy Foundation

 

 

Project site at Inverleigh, VIC

 

The Koala Clancy Foundation is working with landowners and councils to provide connecting habitat corridors for their local wild koala populations. During the course of this planting season (April – September) they are aiming to plant close to 20,000 native trees. Eight hundred (800) trees from SÜK goes a long way towards their goal.

 

Koala Clancy volunteers looking over their day’s work.

 

Bendigo, VIC | 160 trees | 2023

The Northern Bendigo Landcare (NBL) held their annual National Tree Day event last month at the Huntly Streamside Reserve. They planted native species along the Bendigo Creek corridor. This corridor has been damaged in the past due to gold mining and grazing. This is the traditional land of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Peoples of the Kulin Nation.

 

Little landcare kiddies.

 

Forty-eight (48) people turned out to help plant the trees.  A highlight was having students from nearby Epsom Primary School attend with their families.  These students are part of the school’s Green Magpies group of sustainability leaders and were encouraged to attend to support community sustainability initiatives and gain valuable experience.  They were extremely keen and enjoyed being involved in practical community action to complement their learning at school.

 

Nicole with students from St Josephs.

 

Thanks to Fifteen Trees and SÜK who donated the plants that we happily added to our community.

Nicole Howie | Secretary | Northern Bendigo Landcare

 

Yea, VIC | 345 trees | 2023

The trees were planted by Yellow Creek Landcare Group (YCLG) at Yea, traditionally Wurundjeri and Taungurung land. The site is classified as a Valley Grassy Forest, with the dominant trees being Eucalyptus microcarpa (Grey Box), Eucalyptus melliodora  (Yellow Box), Eucalyptus macrorhyncha (Red Stringybark), Eucalyptus goniocalyx (Long-leaved Box) and Eucalyptus polyanthemos (Red Box).

 

David and Jan (YCLG)

 

The Landcare group have planted these same indigenous species at the site in keeping with the original vegetation.

 

Takes a lot of work and gear to plant trees. Image Micheal Coonan from (YCLG).

 

 

Hopetoun Park, VIC | 160 trees | 2022

The trees and native understory now growing from Grow West’s recent planting day has contributed to the green wildlife corridor at Hopetoun Park, The park sits alongside the Werribee River. It is here that SÜK trees were planted. This region is home to its very own species of eucalyptus, the Werribee Blue Box tree. The fascinating thing about this tree is that it only occurs along the Werribee River and its tributaries. In 2011, the Werribee Blue-Box was officially recognised by the National Herbarium of Victoria. Classified as endangered under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, these magnificent trees can grow up to 12 metres.

 

A host of volunteers ensured the trees were planted.

 

The Grow West Community Planting Day was a wonderful success. With a beautiful location on the Werribee River in Hopetoun Park, and a glorious sunny day, over 160 wonderful volunteers planted more than 3,700 trees, shrubs and grasses. It is so fantastic to have community members, who care about the environment, come together to improve habitat and increase connectivity in the landscape. Days like this could not happen without the amazing support of organisations such as Fifteen Trees and their sponsors.

Animals that will benefit from this planting include, platypus, and numerous species of birds, frogs, reptiles, insects, possums, small mammals and macropods.

Lindy Macraild |  Coordinator | Melbourne Water

 


 

Thank you SÜK also 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.

 

Looking after our native environment is important on so many levels. And we thank SÜK Workwear for supporting those who work so hard to protect and restore our planet.

 

Writer: Lou Ridsdale.

Lou is a big fan of words and has been our Comms Manager since 2019. She is a big-minded green thumb, Earth Lover, big-hearted nature freak plus a savvy media and horticulture expert, who passionately believe that everyone can lead a more nourishing and sustainable life. Her passion for education + communication being the most empowering tool for change is reflected as her role as Founder of Food Is Free Inc. a unique grassroots food security platform specialising in food security education. She fell in love with trees after reading The Magic Faraway Tree as a child.

You can find Lou here

RECENT TREE PLANTINGS

2,000 TREES PLANTED

July 4, 2025
‘Thank you for the wonderful support that has given me the motivation to increase the vegetation on my property. I am so grateful. These trees will continue to reforest the countryside for generations to come’. Queanbeyan Landcare.

1500 TREES PLANTED

July 4, 2025
We recently planted 1500 native trees, shrubs and grasses in the Campaspe Valley, VIC (Taungurung Country), which is home to variety of birdlife, including Little Corellas, Cockatoos, Musk Lorikeets, Superb Fairywrens, Plumed Honeyeaters and Spotted Pardalotes.

390 TREES PLANTED

July 3, 2025
Ballarat Indoor Go Karts have signed up for an ongoing commitment of 28 native trees to be planted monthly to represent the 28 go-karts operating in their centre. This is a great example of thinking creatively, when it comes to running a business with a smaller carbon footprint.