By Mitchell Clarke
Getting out the gloves for National Tree Day, Member for Gembrook Brad Battin visited a number of schools in the area to plant natives, indigenous to the local area.
Attending Pakenham Hills PS, Beaconsfield PS, Berwick and Berwick Lodge PS, Emerald PS, Gembrook PS on Friday 26 July and Bridgewood PS a week earlier, his appearance for Schools Tree Day was a hit with the students.
“It’s important for the younger generation to learn from an early age about the importance of our actions when it comes to caring for and protecting our environment,” Mr Battin said.
“National School Tree Planting Day was a perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of planting the seeds for a greener and cleaner future for our planet.”
With the idea planted in his head, the politician is looking forward to next year where he will expand his involvement across the entire electorate.
Mr Battin will ensure he gets to all primary schools in the region over a week, rather than being limited to just the one day.
It’s hoped his visits will educate students on the importance of planting indigenous trees and ensuring more students get a chance to plant a tree on the day.
Co-founded by Planet Ark and Olivia Newton-John in 1996, National Tree Day is now one of the largest community tree-planting and nature protection events.
It’s a call-to-action for Australians to come together, with about 300,000 people volunteering their time to engage in environmental activities which aim to educate about the world.
“It was encouraging to see the excitement from the Eco Warriors, Sustainability Squads and Environment Leaders across the primary schools in the Gembrook electorate for protecting our environment and leading the charge in their sustainability projects in their school and the wider community,” Mr Battin added.
