GHANASS students join ASA Savings and Loans Limited to plant 200 tree seedlings
ASA Savings and Loans Limited has organised a tree planting exercise at the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASS), Koforidua, during which the students planted 200 tree seedlings.
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The seedlings were planted on the premises of the school under the supervision of ASA and the Forestry Commission. This forms part of ASA’s initiative to plant variety of 2,500 tree seedlings countrywide every year.
The species planted were mangoes, citrus, royal palm, coconut and shade trees. It is also in line with the government’s "Green Ghana" Initiative to preserve the environment in the wake of climate change.
Vast land
Speaking after the exercise, the Sustainability Manager of the Company, Richard Nartey, said the school was selected because of its vast land. He said the administration of the school eagerly accepted their offer to plant the tree seedlings.
Mr Nartey indicated that the exercise was in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (climate action).
Carbon dioxide
He said the trees, apart from providing shade, also absorbed carbon dioxide that would be of benefit to the students and people living in the environs of the school. According to Mr Nartey, as future leaders, the students had to be taught the benefits of trees so that they would take care of trees in their adulthood.
He said the school would not allow the indiscriminate felling of trees in the communities, thus safeguarding their environment. Mr Nartey urged students and management of the school to make tree planting on their school compound part of school activities.
Learn
"When students learn about tree planting and its significance, they will carry what they learn to their various homes and tree planting will be their habit. "What is important at this time is for school authority to inculcate the habit of tree planting in students for them to pick it and replicate it at home", he said.
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Felling trees
The Assistant Headmaster in charge of Academics, Augustine Nartey, said human activities, particularly the felling of trees, had brought about climate change. He indicated that it was, therefore, necessary to step up the planting of tree seedlings, the reason the school readily agreed to partner ASA's tree planting exercise. That, he said, would save both the environment and humans.
Climate Change
In response to a question on climate change, Mr Nartey suggested that climate change should be included in the school curriculum so that students would be taught the causes of climate change and how best to address the issue.
"Students are to know the advantages and disadvantages of climate change right from the basic level up to senior high level, and this is why I want climate change to be a subject on its own.
"This is because when the last tree dies, the last man also dies, so trees must be planted and protected",Mr Nartey stated.
Students experience
Sharing their experiences after the tree planting exercise, a Form Two student, Mary Sellassie, told the Daily Graphic that ensuring that trees were planted, nurtured and protected was good since they contributed to inhalation and exhalation processes of human beings.
Amoah Frederick, another Form Two student, also from the same school said he was excited that he took part in the exercise because a lot of benefits such as medicine, food, shade and shelter, among others would be drived from the trees.
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