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South Africa: Over 1000 Trees Planted in Balfour
Balfour - More than 1 000 trees have been planted at a township outside of Balfour as part of the Greening Mpumalanga project which aims to make the province more environmentally conscious.

Department of Agriculture and Land Administration MEC Dina Pule and the Mayor of the Dipaleseng Local Municipality Piet Tsotetsi participated in the planting ceremony in Siyathemba township outside Balfour on Tuesday.
 
This has resulted in the department surpassing its set target of planting 100 000 trees by February.

Spokesperson, Aaron Madonsela said: "We have passed our target of 100 000 trees, by 600 extra trees."

Trees for Africa donated the 1000 fruit trees, while the Gold Basin waste management project donated tins and papers for community groups in Balfour to recycle.

"Gold Basin trains communities to recycle papers and tins by turning them into crafts and other goods that they can sell," Mr Madonsela explained.

He said the NGO also donated refuse bags to the school children who were involved in the clean-up campaign.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in Mpumalanga used the planting ceremony as an opportunity to launch its "Green Revolution" campaign.

This campaign, which is part of the SABC's national Vuka Sizwe (Stand up and do it for yourself) campaign, aims to empower South Africans by encouraging them to open their own businesses.

The Heritage, Greening Mpumalanga and Tourism flagship project is one of the five adopted by the provincial government.

"The Greening Mpumalanga component focuses on environmental management and remediation with the aim to raise the profile of environmental issues in Mpumalanga.

"It also positions the province as the [most] environmentally conscious province of South Africa," Madonsela said.

MEC Pule said the Greening Mpumalanga initiative would have a significant impact on environmental sustainability in the province.

"The greening component identifies institutional mechanisms, environmental interventions, and roles and responsibilities for provincial government departments and municipalities towards achieving environmental sustainability," she said.

Ms Pule said funding for Greening Mpumalanga would come from the provincial and municipal budgets, as well as donors.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200801310767.html
 

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