2 minute read
green giants saving planet earth
lecture & luncheon
August 17, 2023
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Winston-Salem, NC lecture
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Winston-Salem, NC botanic garden tour
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Raleigh, NC
Trees, well-deserving the nickname Green Giants, serve many ecological functions and are critically important for life on the planet Earth Trees are essential components of our ecosystems and major harbors of biodiversity. They are part of the cycle of life, providing food and shelter for many different types of creatures, big and small. Humans depend on trees for many important types of food. With their incredible beauty, trees enhance our lives by bringing joy and calm to our hearts and minds. Trees are important components of our cultural heritage, social connections, and economic development.
Most importantly, Green Giants produce oxygen, essential for life on the planet, which then forms water, also critical for life. Trees use carbon dioxide for the chlorophyll photosynthesis, removing it from the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration is believed to be critically important for climate modulation. Carbon dioxide free in the air, along with methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor are the infamous greenhouse gases, thought to be responsible for global warming. Green Giants also play a critical role in air and water quality. They remove deleterious fine particles from the atmosphere decreasing air pollution. Their roots filter water across banks of rivers and lakes, enhance nutrient cycling and help with soil stabilization and water quality. Green Giants decrease noise pollution and provide shade.
Despite this immense importance, humanity seems to have made it its mission to cut as many trees as possible. Loss of trees and massive deforestation due to savage urban development and large scale farming are calamities of major ecological proportions. Global warming, loss of biodiversity, and air, water and noise pollution are catastrophic consequences of our inability to protect these amazing creatures.
We just had the hottest day ever recorded on Earth. This reality is not going to get better unless we act. Knowledge, deep understanding, empathy and deep commitment to making a difference are essential at this critical stage in the life of the planet. Our survival and the survival of the planet Earth depend on our actions today!
Dr. Francesco Ferrini, Professor of Arboriculture at the University of Florence (Italy) in a series of presentations, highlights the critical role Green Giants play in climate modulation, preservation of biodiversity, food resilience and health. He emphasizes that the Green Giants can save the Earth, if we give them a chance. He also highlights that environmental protection and environmental justice are important responsibilities we must harbor if we still want to continue to exist on this planet. He describes very important steps each one of us can take to restore the health of our planet.
Join Wild Ones CNC in this multisession forum to learn about the critical importance of protecting our trees, our green spaces, and our native flora and fauna.
