More plants to more homes
by Tanya Dreizin | Reading time: 2.5 minutes
We held our third Virtual Tree Planting event on Saturday, March 26 - and like before, a lot of native plants got new homes. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, grabbed a plant, and talked story with us at Moanalua Middle School!
Through our experience hosting outings and service projects, we know that plants, and in particular native species, provide so many benefits: preserve biodiversity, require less water and fertilizer, store greenhouse gases, and improve our mental health through gardening. With so many trees going off to new homes, we want to remind everyone with a new plant to please reach out to us if you have any questions! Part of what makes our Virtual Tree Program unique is that our plant experts, Randy Ching and Ed Mersino, are always on hand to help with any questions or concerns, and to share in the excitement of native species!
The work we do at the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi is interconnected, and native species are critically important to our drinking water - which is threatened by the Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility. It takes 25 years for rainfall to reach our aquifers and become the water we drink. Hawaiʻi’s tree cover and native forests capture rain and cloud moisture, absorbing water that then seeps into the ground and replenishes the groundwater aquifers. By planting more native trees in the ground, you’re helping combat climate change AND contributing to Oʻahu’s water security! To highlight the importance of protecting our precious water resources, Chapter Director Wayne Tanaka and volunteers Hayden Kasal-Barsky and Dani Espiritu were on hand to discuss our work on Red Hill.
If you came to Saturday’s event, keep an eye out for an email from us following up about your new plant, and for updates on the raffle winners! Mahalo to Paul, Celeste and Taylor from Patagonia Honolulu, who provided some new swag for us to raffle off to new plant parents. We also want to thank our amazing Sierra Club interns, Mara Davis and Teana Motoyama, for capturing photos and videos of this event.
As the weather gets warmer and drier, it becomes more difficult for less established plants to survive. As many of the plants we are giving away are smaller and need more optimal conditions to thrive, we will be holding off on more Virtual Tree Planting events until the fall - but please make sure to email us if you have any questions about keeping your plants healthy during the summer months!
Thank you again to everyone who has helped make this program a success! We hope to expand our tree program to more communities on Oʻahu and then to our beloved neighbor islands. You can help us grow our program by donating here.