one tree at a time PLANTING THE FUTURE

By: Raine Waring

On Friday 3 March, Born as the Earth School, A Sōtō Zen School of the Heart, donated and planted 30 Indigenous trees in Stanford Village.

In their continued spirit of giving, Earth School invited the wonderful children from the Creative Skills Factory for a ceremonial afternoon of planting. The children learnt the importance of planting trees for the restoration of the environment and future of the planet. They learnt how to prepare the soil, correctly plant the trees, water and maintain them.

Taking part in this labour of love, the children experienced their innate connectedness to Earth - a coming home to their true, abundant nature. They intimately witnessed the role they play in the interdependency between Mother Earth and all her beings, nurturing the ground of life into which future generations will be born.

Bows of gratitude to:

• Everyone who donated to Earth School’s Christmas Drive last year, enabling us to buy some of these trees.

• Regina and the Creative Skills Factory team for always being ready to do the good work.

• Jaco Jonker at Overberg Agri who kindly donated bone meal for the trees.

• Nic Lauer from Stanford Sawmill for donating stakes and mulch.

• Graig Niemand, our Fire Chief and his team, for digging the holes, providing water for the trees, and for securing the road to ensure the safety of the children.

• Cameron Damon, the team leader of the gardens, for tidying up and securing the trees.

• Mary Kelly for her dedication in helping toorganise the behind the scenes of this project with the municipality.

• Stanford Municipality for their support and assistance.

• Anthony Krut for his help with the planting.

Much gratitude to you all for your heart and generosity.

And lastly, a big special thank you to the incredible children for participating so enthusiastically. A privilege for them to partake in projects like these, but even more of a privilege to experience the gift of giving through their eyes and hands. A true gift! Earth School endeavours to work more with the children of Stanford. Nurturing and restoring authenticity and creativity for the future of our world.

Contribute to human and environmental restoration: Should you wish to donate to our scholarship fund and/or plant a tree for R150, please get in touch with us: info@bornastheearth.com