There’s something beautiful in knowing that someone will sit under the shade of trees that are planted today and that future generations will enjoy the plants, flowers or trees planted now for years to come.
The team at Creating Communities have been helping PEET and its Lakeland Estate with its annual planting day for 13 years.
This year was the program’s final year, not out of choice, but because there’s no more space on the estate to plant any more native shrubs.
In a fitting final planting day, the 20,000th shrub was planted on Lakelands Estate, symbolising both PEET and the local community’s commitment to enhancing the local environment.
Not only is the program revegetating the housing estate, but it’s also teaching young people skills in horticulture, sustainability and leadership.
The program has partnered with Mandurah Baptist College and sees the involvement of students from year 1 all the way through to year 12.
Head of Science Peter Crouch explained that senior school students start the program by propagating and growing the seedlings, which they then teach younger students how to plant.
“They say that values are caught, rather than taught,” he said.
“ We could stand in a classroom and tell all the students ‘you should really value the environment’ but sometimes that’s just words and they don’t sink in. ”— PETER CROUCH
“But by actually being involved in growing the native plants, putting them in the ground and working with others, they’re more likely to pick up the value of valuing the environment which they will take with them for the rest of their life.”
Creating Communities Senior Consultant Kylie Elsegood Smith said it has been a joy to be part of such an incredible community partnership.
“It has been wonderful to work with Peet, Tranen and Mandurah Baptist College on this wonderful program,” she said.
“ And the good news is, that while the program has finished on the Lakelands Estate, the school will continue to run the program into the future by using the grown seedlings to revegetate the school surrounds. ”— KYLIE ELSEGOOD SMITH
“Seeing the energy and passion that these young people have for the environment, leaves me certain that the future is in good hands.”
Involving young people in projects like this and teaching them to be leaders is vital for the sustainability and future of communities because as Mr Crouch said “values are caught, not taught.”
