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Children taught about environmental impact of plastics at annual Trees for Life event

Monday, 11 March 2019

Reception and Year 3 Pupils from Marown Primary School

Six of the Isle of Man’s primary schools took part in the 11th Trees for Life planting event last week (6 and 7 March), at the Children’s Wood in Conrhenny Community Woodland.

Each year the event has a core theme, and this year plastics and their environmental impact was the focus.

Over 240 pupils at St Thomas’, Marown, Onchan, Peel Clothworkers, St. Johns, and Victoria Road took part, where they planted Alder, Aspen, Birch, Oak and Rowan trees.

Representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture’s (DEFAs) UNESCO Biosphere and Ecosystem teams and from BioCycle also joined in the event, to help explain and educate the children on the impact that plastics can have on the environment.

Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, said:

‘Involving local pupils in the Trees for Life week has been hugely successful over the past 11 years. Over 5,000 trees have now been planted by local school children since the first Trees for Life event in 2009, and DEFA has now also had to prepare a new area alongside the original site, to be able to fit all the new trees for this year and going forward.

‘As a UNESCO Biosphere Island it’s vital that we are able live alongside nature. By involving local children we can help educate and inspire them to participate, encouraging them to take an active interest in important environmental areas such as plastics and conservation.’

Pupils from Peel Clothworkers and St. Johns Primary SchoolThis year’s theme ties in with the Isle of Man Government’s Single Use Plastics Reduction Plan and helps to raise public awareness on reducing plastic usage and finding replacement products that protect the countryside and marine environment from the effects of degraded plastics.

Before the event all primary school pupils received a tree education activity pack, to encourage the Island’s primary school pupils to learn more about trees and their importance to the global environment. 

Pictures: 1. Reception and Year 3 Pupils from Marown Primary School.
2. Pupils from Peel Clothworkers and St. Johns Primary School

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