Right here in our country, Zambia, and everywhere across the globe the mass cutting down of trees to pave way for settlement areas, timber, and energy, continues unabated.
As a good global citizen you should be asking why things are happening like this.
We know you know, without oxygen we are all but a mass of dead bodies. And where does this vital oxygen come from? Trees!
But it seems technology and greed have blinded most of us to the importance of trees in this computer age.
Allow us rekindle our minds in this regard. Did you know that-
1. An average size tree produces enough oxygen in one year to keep a family of four breathing.
2.Three trees planted in the right place around buildings can cut air-conditioning costs up to 50 per cent.
3.By planting 20 million trees, the earth and its people will be provided with 260 million more tons of oxygen. These same 20 million trees will remove 10 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
4.Hospital patients who have a view of trees heal faster, use fewer pain medications, and leave the hospital sooner than patients with a view of a brick wall. Patients with a view of trees spend 8 per cent fewer days in the hospital
5.Trees help relax us, lower heart rates, and reduce stress
6. Trees generate jobs and contribute raw materials for building, newspapers, books, and more than 15, 000 other forest products.
Trees are renewable, biodegradable, and recyclable. Wood by products become such products as vitamins, plastics, vanilla flavoring, photography film, tooth paste, and medicines.
7. Trees provide shelter and food for wildlife such as birds, squirrels, and bugs.
8. Well…lastly (to name but a few) did you know that you can make a difference by planting just one tree? Yes you can! Start now, don’t wait for tomorrow and as you journey to help improve the environment, remember Wangari Mathai’s noble words, “ it is the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.”
Andozile Simwinga
and Andrea B. Matambo
UNICEF Climate Ambassadors
