The Glam Green Girl: Greenpop

Greenpop and Zambia

As I've mentioned in a previous post - Zambia April 2012 - I have a love for Zambia so I was delighted to hear about Greenpop's initiative to plant trees in Zambia!

I've recentely been in contact with Marleen Lammers from Greenpop and this is what she had to say about Trees for Zambia:

In case you haven't heard of Trees for Zambia, here's a rundown of what's happening: in July this year, we are kick-starting a reforestation and eco-education project in Zambia, a country with one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. In the initial three-week campaign, we'll be planting at least 5000 trees in and around Livingstone, both in national parks and within the local communities. (One of our planting locations is the National Heritage Site at the legendary Victoria Falls, which will provide quite the view!) We're all about making our greening efforts fun and accessible, so we're involving local children in our efforts and educating them about the importance of trees and the environment. After the initial campaign, we'll continue our work on a slightly smaller scale as on ongoing effort to make Livingstone a greener place.

We'll be doing this with the support of volunteers from around the world, and bookings are flying in! Our volunteers will be a vital part of Trees for Zambia, and involved in pretty much all aspects of the project. On top of getting their hands dirty, they'll get to learn about environmental issues through a series of lectures and workshops that will be hosted by international speakers, such as Wanjira Maathai (daughter of Nobel Price winner Wangari Maathai), David Youldon (start of the British ITV series 'Lion Country'), and representatives from the UNDP and the African Wildlife Foundation. It'll be an exciting conference of action, learning, and sharing.

We are counting down the weeks until our launch, and we're working around the clock fundraising for trees, liaising with community members in Livingstone, preparing volunteers, and putting logistics in place. We'll keep updating you on any exciting developments!

Check out our website for more information: http://www.greenpop.org/projects/trees-for-zambia/. And you can follow developments of the project on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/GreenpopZambia.