#BigFavour: 100 trees, 100 schools, 100 years
"This is sure to be one of my biggest initiatives yet, as I deliver 100 trees to 100 schools in KZN, as we look forward to 100 years of sustainability," says Damon Beard.
Listen as Damon chats about the Big Favour's 100 trees, 100 schools, 100 years campaign below, or read the details under the podcast.
With the incredible help from Mondi, The Durban Botanic Gardens, Reaction Unit South Africa, and Key Pinetown, I’ll be delivering 100 trees from 6:00am and 6:00pm on Tuesday 5th June, which also happens to be World Environment Day.
The trees, donated by Mondi, were transported to The Durban Botanic Gardens where their team have done a superb job of not only storing the trees but caring for them too. The Durban Botanic Gardens Trust will also give each of our 100 schools their own copy of The Durban Forest for their libraries.
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I’ll be flown courtesy of Reaction Unit South Africa to my old High School – Glenwood Boys High and then onto Fynnlands Senior Primary, where I’ll be handing over the trees to the headmaster and learners. From there, the incredible team from Key Pinetown will be distributing their massive fleet of vehicles (each carrying a tree) to all the other schools in KZN that have been chosen by the KZN Department of Education.
Thank you to these incredible organisations that will make this gigantic project happen:
Mondi
Without Mondi, who donated our 100 trees – this project would never have happened.
They are the leader in packaging and paper, employing around 26,000 people across more than 30 countries. They delight their customers with innovative and sustainable packaging and paper solutions. They are fully integrated across the packaging and paper value chain - from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films, to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Sustainability is embedded in everything they do, with clearly defined commitments across 10 action areas. Visit their website www.mondigroup.com or call 031 451 2111.
The Durban Botanic Gardens and the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust
The Durban Botanic Gardens have been incredible by not only nurturing but also taking top quality care of our baby trees. The Durban Botanic Gardens Trust have published The Durban Forest book as the first volume in the umKhulu series. The second volume in this series, Strelitzias of the World, is scheduled for release at the end of October 2018.
The Durban Botanic Gardens Trust was formed in 1993 to ensure the stewardship and on-going development of the Durban Botanic Gardens, Africa's oldest surviving botanic garden. If you would like to find out how you can support the work of the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust, please contact Kerry Phillips on 031 309 9240 or email [email protected].
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA)
RUSA is a private response unit based in KwaZulu Natal. Reaction Officers respond to Crime, Fire, and Medical related Emergencies. The RUSA medical unit consists of a team of Intermediate Life Support Paramedics. A fleet of Ambulances and Medical response vehicles are equipped with the latest in Medical Technology to assist with any medical emergencies. Reaction Unit South Africa is also an agent for Tracker and specialises in the tracking and recovery of stolen, as well as hijacked motor vehicles.
The Reaction Unit team will be flying me to both Glenwood High School and Fynnlands Senior Primary for the official handover of their trees. For more info, visit their website, www.reactionunitsa.co.za.
Key Pinetown
Key Pinetown is the driving force behind the massive distribution of our trees.
They have been serving the KZN market for 45 years. Established in 1973, Key’s purpose still exists to exceed all of its stakeholders' expectations in the pursuit of success, particularly those of its team, its clients, and the broader KZN community. Key has grown to become a regionally-dominant player and with a focus on serving the fleet sector, is still currently the number one Isuzu and Opel dealer in South Africa. For more info, call the Key team on 031 717 0511.
Glenwood Boys High and Fynnlands Senior Primary
An enormous thank you to my high school, Glenwood Boys High, and then also to Fynnlands Senior Primary who agreed to be the official ‘handover schools’ for the project.
The Reaction Unit Helicopter will land on both school fields where an official handover ceremony will take place with the staff and learners of both schools.
These two schools will be the first to receive trees, and from there throughout the day, 98 more trees will be handed over and planted at schools around the Province.
Contact Glenwood High School on 031 205 5241 or email Hannelie: [email protected].
Contact Fynnlands Senior Primary School on 031 466 2881 or email Mary: [email protected].
Remember to follow the action on East Coast Radio's social media pages on Tuesday, 5 June to watch the action unfold in real-time.
