SUFFOLK, Va. — In Suffolk, a group of volunteer environmentalists went to Sleepy Hole Park to plant trees.
The group “Save the Earth from A to Z, We Are One Family” teamed up with Suffolk Parks and Recreation Department to plant 40 trees on Sunday morning. Event organizers said it’s about fighting climate change, improving air quality, and making the area a little nicer.
“It’s just a great day. It’s what I call a bonus day,” Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman said. “It’s 80 degrees, the sun's out, we’re planting trees. It don’t get much better than that.”
About 60 volunteers teamed up for the event, including Brittany Strozier.
“We’re here, we’re helping, partnering with the city of Suffolk to plant 41 trees in the area,” Strozier said. “There’s many benefits from tree planting such as air quality, as well as our wildlife, habitats, food. Even shade and cooling I think we’ve all benefitted from that… trees actually absorb carbon dioxide which is, in the end, a long-term goal because it actually helps prevent global warming.”
The money for the trees came from a grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry, according to Duman.
“These additional trees that are being planted now as seedlings are going to benefit our citizens for years to come,” he said.
This event is a part of the larger initiative called “Mother Forest” which aims to promote natural green spaces within communities.