Eco Friendly House And Garden

Here is your chance to take part in something amazing!

BBC Breathing Spaces in the UK, is attempting to break some Guinness World Records in the tree world.  As a part of National Tree Week in the UK, they have decided to try to break 2 World Records on the same day.  1 of the records is for individuals, and the other record is more of a massive effort of over 100 people!

Needless to say I will be focussing this article on the record that we can all take part in - for individuals and families around the world.  And, although this record attempt stems from the UK, you can live anywhere in the world to take part!

You can live in any country in the world to join in the effort, and so far - according to the website today - there have been people from 67 countries pledging to plant a tree!

How Do You Join In?
To get yourself and your friends involved you need to add your pledge to the growing number of ‘planters’ out there - but first of all, you need to decide on where you could plant a young tree - and of course, getting your hands on a suitable tree to plant!  Their FAQ should help.

There are strict rules regarding the planting - well, it is a world record so needs to be taken seriously - and there are natural ‘rules’ to make sure your tree actually makes a difference to the environment you plant it in!

So, here’s a summary of the guidelines in the order you need to worry about them:

1) You will need (digital) photographic evidence of you planting your trees - which shows the date and time of the planting, as these need to be emailed to the adjudicators after the event.

2) You must be free between 11am and 12 noon on the 5th of December 2009.  If you live outside of the UK, you need to be free at the exact same time - but obviously this won’t be 11am where you live, so you need to work out the time you need to plant your trees. For example, New York planters would need to be digging at 6am on the 5th, and people in Victoria, Australia would need to be planting at 10pm on the 5th.

3) You need to get decide on a suitable tree species to plant in a suitable habitat.  Ideally it would be a native tree species sourced locally and with other similar trees already doing well in that area.  So, don’t plant a small hazel tree in a densely packed conifer woodland, and only choose birch and the such for wetter areas. The whole point of the record attempt is to make a difference to the environment - so a badly chosen tree or location is a waste of time!

4) So, use their tree guide to decide on planting and caring for your baby trees to make sure that they benefit the wildlife they are surrounded by and so that they make a long-term difference to your community.  The UK are offering participants ‘free trees’ for the record attempt - so go to their stockist listings to see where you can get yours from!

5) Now, get online and make your pledge!  There is a Tree-O-Meter on their site to keep track of the numbers of tree pledges - 263,669 right now - but the current record is 653,143, so loads to go!

Make sure you are one of them! 

Since it’s humble beginnings in Sydney, Australia in 2007 - the Earth Hour has been gaining ground - and fast.

This year - the 3rd Earth Hour - is planning to cover the entire globe in swathes of darkness around it’s width - like a global Mexican Wave. This will convey the huge statement that there are thousands of people in every country joining together in support of making a difference.

People in every country across the globe are signing up to say that they agree with the Earth Hour aim to ’send a message to World Governments that they must take action to help avoid Climate Change’. And they are hoping to unite 1 billion people with this single purpose.

Why So Important?
The UN Climate Change Summit takes place in Copenhagen at the end of the year, and WWF are hoping that this event will have an impact on topics raised and policies discussed by the heads of nations. This Summit is going to decide on future International Climate Policy - so really it is the planets ‘Moment of Truth’.

We have read reports from well known scientists that we are really at a great tipping point with the destruction we are a part of, and that if things are not turned around very quickly with regards to emissions and draining of resources, we may never return to the life we knew. Everything could change.

We are already seeing signs of that change across the world in the flooding and diseases affecting corners of the globe - freak weather, sea-level rises and warming temperatures are all impacting on peoples lives, and it will only get worse.

What Can You Do?
If you plan to take part, make sure you register and get everyone you know to register too. Although just turning out your lights for the entire hour will show others you are involved, you will not count towards the actual recorded movement as the WWF will not know that you took part. There will be no written record of the part you played.

Last year 50 million people signed up, but many more joined in, but went uncounted. If this years Earth Hour is to reach 1 billion, you must sign up and be counted.

Planning an event for the hour will also involve many others - as if they are at your house enjoying a candle-lit dinner, a home movie watching session or a ghost story telling group at the local church hall - then all their lights will be out anyway as they are not at home (but make sure they sign up online first). So by arranging an event - the bigger the better - the more supporters you will be creating - the bigger the impact!

There are national and local events being organised if you’d rather head into town with your friends - and you might get to see a famous landmark plunged into darkness!

There may be outdoor concerts or theatre performances at local stately homes on offer, or walks in the local woods for the more adventurous - and everything will look so different in the true darkness - look up to see the stars where-ever you are as they will certainly be shining more brightly than before!