Mayor plants trees to launch Arbor Week
Mayor James Nxumalo launched Arbor Week and a Clean-up campaign this week and urged residents to plant more trees.
“LET us plant more trees and clean our environment to maintain a green and beautiful City.” This was the message by the Mayor James Nxumalo and municipal management at the official launch of the National Arbor Week and Clean-up Month on Monday, 1 September.
The day kicked-off with Nxumalo and eThekwini management officials participating in a clean-up campaign at KwaMashu Train Station. He also engaged with commuters about the importance of preserving the environment to reduce the effects of climate change and ensure a sustainable environment for future generations. The group also took a train ride from KwaMashu Train Station to Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The delegation then moved to Springfield, where Nxumalo planted the Heteropyxis Natalensis (Lavender tree), one of the two national trees for 2014, as determined by the National Department of Environmental Affairs. The other tree is the Vepris lanceolata (Ironwood).
Nxumalo called on all residents to play a part in the preservation of the environment. He said the Municipality was fully committed to playing its role as a leader in the climate change agenda, especially in the local government sphere. “As a Municipality, we pride ourselves of the major strides that we have taken in pushing this agenda of environmental awareness and nature conservation, and as proof of our commitment, last year the City planted over 13 000 indigenous trees and 3918 exotic trees including fruit trees in many parts of our city.”
As part of celebrating the two campaigns, the municipality has planned various activities which seek to educate the community about the importance of planting trees to preserve the environment. The municipality will also launch the Quick Response (RQ) code plant label to enable techno-savvy people to get more information on a particular tree by simply scanning their smartphone against the barcode on the code plant label.
The verge competition, started in 2012, is also underway and residents are encouraged to nominate worthy verges by sending a photo of the verge to 083 288 8790, email it to charles.ambrose@durban.gov.za or hand-deliver to Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries Department office at 70 St Thomas Road, Durban (Botanic Gardens). Include the address of the proposed verge, the name and contact details of the resident (if possible), and indicate whether it is a residential house, town house, complex, or industrial area. The closing date for the submission of entries is 30 September 2014.
To be part of the campaign, residents and private organisations are encouraged to visit their nearest Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries Department to get seedlings, free of charge
