Pupils at a West Leeds primary school have spent a day proving they love their planet by planting 850 new trees.
Greenhill Primary School in Bramley hosted a “Love Your Planet” event which saw each child plant a tree as part of a project led by Leeds City Council in partnership with White Rose Energy and the Woodland Trust.
The council’s goal is that, with help, children in Leeds will plant one tree for every child born in 2020 (approximately 10,000) by 2021.
The project comes in response to the recent Big Leeds Climate Conversation which found widespread public support for tree planting schemes; 58% of people said they would take part in such a scheme and 96% thought that protecting biodiversity should be a priority for Leeds.
Bramley councillor Julie Heselwood said:
“We are so pleased that schools in Leeds are getting on board with this scheme and it was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm at Greenhill Primary School this morning.
“Tackling the climate emergency is one of the council’s key priorities and I am proud that, through this project, we are giving schoolchildren the opportunity to play a part in taking real action against climate change and help us with our ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030.”
For more information about the scheme, e-mail matthew.foley@leeds.gov.uk.