Rotary Tree Dedication Ceremony

TREE DEDICATION CEREMONY FOR 2010 PLANTS –SAT. 20^TH Nov.2010

Rotarians, landscapers, corporate sponsors, supporting organizations and green supporters will spend a meaningful Saturday in a mass tree planting ceremony on 20 November 2010 in celebration of the United Nation’s (UN’s) International Year of Biodiversity.

In the face of increasing global concern over climate change, deforestation and species extinction, the call to UNite to Combat Climate Change is now more urgent than ever. The green project was initiated by the Institute of Parks and Recreation Singapore and the Rotary Club of Victoria Singapore in support of Plant for the Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The project’s objective was to garner corporate and public support for the Plant-A-Tree Program by National Parks Board and fund raise for the Garden City Fund in the government’s ongoing campaign to transform Singapore into a “City in the Garden” and create a sustainable environment for Singapore.

The event is staged to attract families, youths and corporate. It will also be attended by NGOs, such as Soroptimist International of Singapore, Lions Club of Singapore Culture and Joo Chiat Culture Toastmaster Club.

Besides a certificate from NParks and the Organising Committee, sponsors who donate a tree will receive a certificate by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under their Plant for the Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign.  Trees will be provided by National Parks Board for a donation of $200 to the Garden City Fund.

The campaign aims to educate and encourage the public to participate in tree planting programs, emphasizing on the importance of biological diversity in providing "ecosystem services" that humanity and wildlife rely on for their current and future well-being. As emphasized at the recent Millennium Development Goals meeting in New York, the continued loss of biodiversity results in the extinction of wildlife and consequent fall in food supply and famine.

It fosters concern for the global environment. Support for environmental and sustainable development programs by developing nations around the region are encouraged to protect ecosystem and conserve our natural resources for future generations.

Biodiversity is life, biodiversity is our life. The call to action and UNite to Combat Climate Change has been sounded by the United Nations. We need to be involved in conservation, reforestation and tree planting programs before we reached the tipping-point – the point of no return.