2011 sees the third annual celebration of Arbor Month in South Africa take place in September. Originally Arbor Day, tree awareness and interest has grown tremendously in South Africa that it has progressed from National Arbor Week in 1997 to Arbor Month in 2009.

For pictures click here

This is a direct effect of the tremendous efforts of Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA).FTFA is South Africa’s national social environmental enterprise. Started in 1990 FTFA aims to address sustainable development through greening, climate change action, sustainable natural resource management and food security programmes.

FTFA’s impact stretches further than the 4 million trees it has distributed thus far. It has facilitated thousands of organic food gardens for the poorest, launched the first carbon calculator in South Africa, the Carbon Protocol of South Africa and the Climate Change Leadership Awards. Recently, FTFA’s founder was selected as one of 23 presenters worldwide for Al Gore’s 24 Hours of Reality project, to connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather catastrophes.

This year sees Audi SA enter the second of its three year greening project and they are doing it in true ‘Vorsprung’ style – planting 9 005 trees in the Western and Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal. These fruit and indigenous trees will result in around 225 hectares of urban forest, and will also be registered with the United Nations Billion Tree initiative. Audi SA and FTFA have identified communities close to their Terminal Concept Dealerships to be the recipients of these trees. These include Hatfield, Northcliff, Somerset West and Pinetown.

Moving Planet, on 24 September, is a worldwide rally to demand solutions to the climate crisis— a day to move away from fossil fuels.

Audi SA planted 350 fruit and 350 indigenous trees on 23 September at the Soccer Field, Extension 4 Island in Cosmo City in celebration of Moving Planet in partnership with 350.org. Construction of 500 houses in Extension 4 Island started in 2005. The people who live there were removed from the nearby informal settlements of Zevenfontein and River Bend, and were living in makeshift shelters with no running water, electricity or sanitation for 12 years.

The remaining 1 480 trees will be distributed on 26 (Cosmo City Church, Extension 3), 27 (Open Space, Extension 4) and 28 (Open Space, Extension 2 Island) September at 10amFTFA has planted over 16 000 trees across South Africa during Arbor Month 2011. Audi SA is contributing greatly to this by distributing 2180 trees to the community of Cosmo City.