Ford is funding the Lebanese Youth Environment Parliament's (YEP) massive environmental campaign for creation of tree nurseries in schools.

The YEP is a group of student organisations and teachers working with the Lebanese Appropriate Technology Association (LATA).

The campaign targets more than 2000 schools throughout Lebabon in a move to help address the dwindling numbers of trees as a result of war and forest fires in Lebanon.

The project began in 2007, with 50 schools as the first group of participants. Since then, the inspirational campaign has drawn the interest of various municipalities and local communities.

The Lebanese Appropriate Technology Association provided critical technical assistance to YEP for setting up and nurturing the tree nurseries.

“The war not only brought destruction to our economies, but it also led to the destruction of our forests. Trees are an important aspect of our ecosystem, and are in many ways linked to our survival and progress as a nation,” said Boghos Ghougassian, secretary general, LATA.

With young people at the forefront of the campaign, the tree nursery for schools project is being likened to rebirth in Lebanon.

“We hope we can touch the hearts and minds of students that they too can make a difference. So it was an absolute delight when we were told we were chosen as one of the recipients of Ford Motor Company’s Conservation and Environmental Grants. We now have additional resources to be able to reach out to more youth, to educate them and invite them to be a part of this green revolution in Lebanon,” he added.

“With the funding from Ford, we can now produce 10,000 users guides and wall charts on tree planting to be distributed to 2700 schools and 900 municipalities, free of charge. This is a significant boost that will help ensure the success of the project,” he concluded.-TradeArabia News Service