In Thailand on May 27th 2006, the Plant a Tree Today (PATT) Foundation had their first tree planting day as part of their ‘Baan Unrak Forest and Nursery Project’. CEO Dr Andrew Steel and his family helped plant 500 fruit and teak tree seedlings in rural Thailand for the Baan Unrak School and Children’s Home in Sangklaburi. Since then, they have been working together with schools, local MP’s, organisations and businesses to support reforestation here in the UK.
Combatting climate change
After their initial tree planting day in 2006, the PATT Foundation have proceeded to plant over 3 million trees, of which 90 different species of tree are growing in an amazing step towards combatting climate change. Now working in partnership with other organisations across the UK, PATT Foundation are working towards the UK government’s target of becoming a carbon neutral nation. The UK became the first major economy to pass a net zero emissions law in 2019, which means that for every tonne of CO2 in the atmosphere, a tonne should equally be taken out of it.
Reforestation locally
“We are working in partnership with a number of different organisations engaged with meeting the UK government target of being a carbon neutral nation, as well as helping Hull achieve it’s ambitious aims. The simplest way for residents or businesses to help offset carbon emissions and actively tackle climate change in our region is to help us plant more trees.” - PATT CEO, Dr Andrew Steel
The Hull and Humber region decided that 2050 was not soon enough and have been working towards becoming net zero for carbon emissions by 2030-2040. To help them achieve this, the PATT Foundation has launched many projects that also give back to the community. One of their recent projects ‘One Hull of a Forest’ is raising funds to plant 50 million trees in Hull over the next 25 years. Hull & East Riding believe it or not have only 2.6% of woodland compared to the national average of 8.4%.
The trees planted at Alderman Cogan School in Kingston Upon Hull as part of ‘One ‘Hull of a Forest’ were planted by the ‘Green Task Force’, another PATT Foundation project that which works with veterans. It is estimated that these trees will account for approximately 60 tonnes of CO2 being taken out of the atmosphere each year. The PATT Foundation also have projects such as the ‘Hull Community Diggers’ who work with local community groups, such as mental health groups, to plant urban trees, flowers and crops. These urban projects work towards giving members of the community a place to improve head space and promote social inclusion.
