Watch our video
The successful and innovative Trees for Homes public greening initiative contributes nationally in a visible way to more sustainable settlements and enhanced environments. Trees for Homes started in 2000 to address climate change, improve quality of life and create sustainable settlements by giving low-income communities fruit or indigenous trees to plant at their homes, as well as providing training, some short term paid employment and environmental awareness. This BEE, Enterprise Development, CSI and carbon offset programmes has planted 705 000 Trees for Homes since 2000, sinking 264 044.94 tons of CO2 over 15 years. In addition these trees have created 17 625 hectares of urban forest in poor areas and FTFA has trained and given stipends to 7 820 unemployed community educators for Trees for Homes to date.
Dame Helen Suzman, a patron of FTFA since its inception, sadly passed away at the end of 2008. Her generosity to FTFA continued after her passing when she bequethed R 50 000 to FTFA. This amounted to 555 trees, 85 of which were planted in October 2009 in celebration of the International Day of Climate Change Action. The remaining 470 trees were distributed on the 17th and 19th March 2010 respectively to community members of Cosmo City.
Citrine Construction and Food & Trees for Africa teamed up again. This time they planted 100 lemon trees in Darling on 29 July 2010 for 100 inhabitants of this settlement.
In 2008, a partnership between the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM), the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) resulted in the distribution and planting of 6 717 trees for the disadvantaged communities of this district, with additional funding support for more trees provided through FTFA from Ellis of Richmond, Backsberg Wine Estate and the Raith Foundation. In addition, last year’s project provided temporary employment opportunities for 179 community members who were taught how to plant and look after trees and how to promote urban greening to their neighbours.
Recognising that environmental responsibility and carbon neutrality are issues of great importance, Hetzner, in partnership with The Loerie Awards, took a step in the direction of improved environmental responsibility. As a sponsor of The Loerie Awards since 2005, Hetzner wanted to take its involvement a step further by reducing the environmental impact of the event. As the official web hosting partner for the event, Hetzner has played an increasingly important role in the success of the Awards as all entries are submitted online via the Loeries website, hosted on Hetzner’s network infrastructure.
Complete Events, organisers of Rocking the Gardens, in partnership with Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA),committed to planting trees as part of the Rocking the Gardens carbon offset. This music festival, with a conscience, was sponsored by Old Mutual South Africa and was held at Emmarentia Botanical Gardens in 2009. Aside from showcasing some of the best bands in South Africa, it strove to educate and inform the revellers about climate change and the environment.
Nashua Mobile planted over 550 trees in Riverlea, Soweto, near Soccer City, as part of their drive to green and beautify South Africa and also to improve quality of life in communities where it does business. These trees were planted through Food & Trees for Africa’s Trees for Homes programme for 550 residents of this new settlement.
Three giants on the sustainable development front partnered in a greening initiative for Mbekweni township just north of Paarl, the Niall Mellon Township Trust (NMTT), The Ackerman Family Foundation and the UN award winning social enterprise, Food & Trees For Africa (FTFA). Resilient indigenous trees have taken root besides the houses which were built during the annual NMTT Building Blitz Week in March of 2009.
This great green festival annually offsets its carbon emissions with Food & Trees for Africa. From transport initiatives, solar and wind powered electricity, bio-diesel generators and LED lighting to complimentary bio-degradable soaps and shampoos, recycling and tree planting initiatives, Rocking the Daisies explores every avenue to make this the most carbon neutral green event possible. After the event, trees are donated to disadvantaged communities to offset the emissions they cannot cut.
National social enterprise Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), a United Nations award winning organisation, hosted several World Environment Day and National Environment Week events with various sponsors.
Commemorated on 5 June since 1972, World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action. Through WED, a human face is given to environmental issues to enable people to realize, not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development. The call for action asks communities around the world to do something, “plant a tree or better yet organize a collective tree planting effort..”
World Environment Day (WED) is highly celebrated annually all over the world. This year’s theme is Global Day for Positive Environment Action. It is commemorated on 5 June of each year, and has been since 1972.
Audi SA and Food & Trees for Africa continued their mission to plant trees in Olievenhoutbosch on the 22nd May 2010 to celebrate the International Day of Biological Diversity. At this event another 500 homeowners received a tree to plant at their homes and learnt more about biodiversity.
Global Days of Service from 17 to 25 April 2010 saw millions of people around the globe working to make their communities and the world cleaner and more sustainable. In South Africa, Audi SA and Food & Trees for Africa distributed 1 300 trees to the residents of Olievenhoutbosch, north of Johannesburg during this time period.
FTFA has been working in Cosmo City since April 2006. It is wonderful to see how the trees have grown and the visual impact they have on the aesthetics in the area. It is thanks to the following sponsors that FTFA has been able to make such a difference in Cosmo City: The City of Joburg, The British Council, eBucks, Accor, Grant Park, Helen Suzman, House & Home, Mavromac, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, Riso Africa, South African Breweries, Studio Bela, Noam Perski and Nashua Mobile, as well as many individual sponsors.
In celebration of National Water Week, 15th – 21st March 2010, Food & Trees for Africa, with the aid of various funders distributed a total of 578 trees and much awareness and education around the need to conserve and use our scarce vital water resources wisely.
The year 2010 is symbolic of many things and it is the International Year of Biodiversity. To commemorate this, Audi of South Africa will plant 6 500 trees at schools and homes in disadvantaged communities across Gauteng and introduce a school food garden at Makgetsi High School through which the importance of biodiversity will also be addressed
To make their houses homes, 247 residents of Extension 4 Island in Cosmo City received trees from House & Home to plant at their homes in Cosmo City on the 19th March 2010.
House & Home ran an in store promotion during National Back (and Arbor Week, 1st – 7th September), and for every base set sold during this period they agreed to plant one tree. A total of 307 base sets were sold so 247 trees will be planted in Cosmo City, 30 will be planted at Esselyn Heights Primary School in Phoenix, Durban, and the remaining 30 at Bergville Primary School, Valhalla Park, Cape Town.
“We realise the importance of finding a balance between our business interests and the obligations we owe to the environment, our workers and our community”, said Larry Brown, Designer and Director of Browns The Diamond Store, at a recent press launch of the Browns Plumtree Project. He said that Browns believe that it is the responsibility of companies such as theirs to lead the way, make changes to combat climate change and support the development of local communities. 
Kwazakhele is a residential area built in the 1950’s for the then disenfranchised community, so in line with the policies of the apartheid regime, Kwazakhele was isolated from Port Elizabeth. Today the area is a low income area and the unemployment rate is high. It is a flat and featureless area with many undeveloped sites. Due to the lack of sufficient housing, many of these sites are used by squatters. There are few developed public places in the area, such as meeting places and parks. All in all this is a bleak environment and a community which needs help.
The
Mogale City Department of Integrated Environmental Management aimed to reach
out to different people in their community during Arbor Week in September 2009.
“We have involved the youth, disabled and rural communities in previous Arbor
programmes and this one will take the awareness of greening and climate change
even further,” claimed Rinus Bouwer, Parks Manager of Mogale City Local
Municipality. 
On the 2nd September 2009, Toyota and FTFA, together with the group of Japanese volunteers, distributed 600 trees to the community of Alexandra Extension 7 as a celebration of Arbor Month and the arrival of the new generation Prius. 
Pick n Pay, one of the sponsors of Brands & Branding for Good, www. brandsandbrandingconference.co.za, the first local branding conference to explore the relationship between the trend towards sustainability and the brand, has put its money where its mouth is and joined forces with FTFA to reduce the carbon footprint of the conference. Instead of purchasing gifts for the delegate packs, the organisers will purchase as many trees as delegates attending the conference from FTFA. These trees, fruit-bearing varieties, will be planted in Tembisa. 
AngloGold Ashanti has been working with Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) since 2006 to green disadvantaged areas in the North West to benefit the communities near to their operations. This has resulted in 7 900 planted for residents in Potchefstrooom, Klerksdorp, Jouberton and Alabama through FTFAs Trees for Homes programme. 
Greenest retailer and Food & Trees for Africa help make a new home for Alex residents
The 16th September marked another greening day for the residents of Olievenhoutbosch as Audi and FTFA celebrated Arbor Month and the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
First National Bank (FNB) Credit Card and Cheque account divisions in collaboration with Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) are planting 570 trees in the Lehae community in Soweto. For more pictures 
Staff from Discovery arrived at Thabang Society Skills Development Center on 20 August 2010, ready to plant 50 trees. After introductions Mr Hugh, Mr Dimape Serenyane (board member of Thabang Society) and FTFA representative, Daniel Chitungo, gave short presentations. The FTFA global warming pamphlet was welcomed by the Discovery team.
The Global Work Party is the largest single day of carbon-cutting action in the world’s history. This year’s event was organised for the 10th October 2010.
FNB Credit Card and FNB Cheque Accounts are working with Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) to plant 10 000 trees around South Africa. The project was launched on the 15th September 2010 in the community of Lehae when Lucas Radebe, former captain of Bafana Bafana and a close friend of the bank, eagerly rolled up his sleeves and jumped in to assist the community to plant their trees. Between the 15th and 19th September 2 850 trees were distributed to this community and a further 650 were distributed during the month of October.
The Cosmo City residents from Extension 4 Island received 300 trees, thanks to a joint initiative between vehicle and asset finance specialist WesBank and Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA).
FNB Credit Card and FNB Cheque Accounts are working with social enterprise Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) to plant 10 000 trees around South Africa. FNB engaged in this initiative beginning last July by urging customers to sign up to receive statements via email to reduce the carbon footprint, use of paper and be more efficient. For every 50 customers that sign up, the two divisions donate a tree.
FNB Credit Card and FNB Cheque Accounts are planting 10 000 trees for disadvantaged communities across South Africa. FNB is urging their customers to sign up to receive statements via email to reduce the carbon footprint, use of paper and be more efficient. For every 50 customers that sign up, the two divisions donate a tree to social enterprise Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), who distribute these through their award winning Trees for Homes programme.
FNB and FTFA launched the planting of 10 000 trees on 15 September 2010 in the community of Lehae, south of Johannesburg. Lucas Radebe, former captain of Bafana Bafana and a close friend of the bank, eagerly rolled up his sleeves and dug in to assist the Lehae community to plant their trees. Since then 3 500 trees have been distributed in Lehae, 500 trees in Evaton West in Gauteng, 1000 trees in Soweto and 500 trees in Hammersdale in KwaZulu Natal. A further 1 000 indigenous trees have now been distributed to 1 000 residents of Delft.
Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) today planted 170 trees in Extension 9 of Alexandra, one of South Africa’s oldest townships. Run in partnership with Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA), the initiative is aimed at instilling residents of the area with a sense of pride in their surroundings. 
One thousand one hundred and eleven residents of Alexandra, one of South Africa’s oldest townships, received trees from corporate law firm Bowman Gilfillan. 
“We realise the importance of finding a balance between our business interests and the obligations we owe to the environment, our workers and our community”, said Larry Brown, Designer and Director of Browns The Diamond Store, at a press launch of the Browns Plumtree Project. This project aims to provide fruit bearing trees for low-income communities.
First National Bank (FNB) and Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), the greening social enterprise, have put their wallets, and their backs into re-greening a township in the Eastern Cape. From 22 to 24 November almost 2 000 households, and several pre-primary schools in Cathcart, Eastern Cape, received indigenous trees. 
Bidvest company, Konica Minolta South Africa, is taking proactive steps against global warming by contributing 4 500 trees to disadvantaged residents of settlements in Polokwane, Kimberley, East London, Port Elizabeth and Newcastle.
Nashua Mobile was one of the first service providers to launch a successful campaign to convert customers from paper-billing to electronic billing, reducing the paper used and postal transport, thus reducing their carbon footprint and environmental impact.
Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), together with Comhousing, worked together to distribute 7 300 fruit and indigenous trees to communities in Kwazulu Natal from the 15th to the 27th November 2010.The Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of Agriculture Environmental Affairs and Rural Development (DAERD) have followed suit in taking the opportunity of coming on board to be part of this life changing initiative from Comhousing. These two departments which assisted with the training workshops also assisted with the distributions. DAFF added 450 trees to Comhousing’s contribution.
The year 2010 was well known as the International Year of Biodiversity. It has been a great year for Audi South Africa and Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA). More than 5500 trees have been planted in the community of Olievenhoutbosch so far. FTFA successfully trained a total number of 54 Community Based Educators, and organised 14 successful tree distribution events in that area. These tree distribution events mainly took place in open spaces and in school grounds. In each extension 350 to 500 trees were distributed.
kulula fans raised a whopping R1 million to support Food & Trees for Africa’s (FTFA) efforts to address climate change whilst improving environments for the poor. This was done through kulula’s Project Green Programme, which aims to combat the atmospheric carbon loads and greenhouses gases released by its aircraft.
The biggest contribution towards Trees for Homes in 2011 is 45 000 trees from The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), and FTFA was very excited to receive the news as we closed last year, that our Trees for Homes funding application had been successful.
The Seaparankwe School in Attridgeville received an early Christmas gift during December. Wild Route Environmental Consultants delivered 75 indigenous trees to the school as part of their urban greening project sponsored by Thermo Char. The school applied for trees through Food & Trees for Africa, and Wild Route and Thermo Char agreed to help. Learners will be welcomed in 2011 with a transformed school yard filled with indigenous trees
Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) was very excited to receive the news that they would be receiving R4 050 000 from the the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), at the end of 2010. This will support the distribution of 45 000 Trees for Homes in 2011, The International Year of Forests, for 45 000 residents of low cost housing settlements across South Africa.
As South Africa gears up to host the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP 17, in Durban at the end of November 2011, social enterprise Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) is working harder than ever to green areas in and around Durban.
