540 Trees to Mark World Environment Week
In keeping with the name Fly540, Kenya’s low cost airline donated 540 trees to mark this year’s World Environment Week. The trees were planted in the Kereita Forest, situated 58 kilometres from Nairobi on the slopes of the Aberdare mountain range.
Neil Steffen, the Chief Operating Officer of Fly540, said, “There is a pressing need for individuals and organizations throughout the world to plant trees to counter the environmental damage caused by industry and transport.”
“Our airline has launched a long-term campaign to plant thousands of trees in Kenya. The first step is our gift of 540 trees to support this year’s World Environment Week.”
The Kereita forest is one of Nairobi’s water catchments and its trees absorb carbon dioxide and provide a vital carbon sink. Among the indigenous trees that were planted through the Fly540 project are Colea Africana, Mukurwe and Munderendu. The 540 trees were planted in the forest by pupils of Peponi House School working together with the Kereita community.
World Environment Week supports a global tree planting campaign launched by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) themed ‘Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign’. This encourages communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments throughout the world to plant one billion, or more trees during the year 2007.
Cynthia Figueira of the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions of UNEP, thanked Fly540 for taking the initiative to donate 540 trees and for involving the children of Peponi House School to plant them in the Kereita forest.
It is estimated that the world’s forests store roughly 50 per cent more carbon than the atmosphere. The loss of natural forests around the world contributes more to global emissions each year than the transport sector. Curbing deforestation is a highly cost effective way to reduce emissions. Other solutions include increased energy efficiency, reduced energy demand and better transport.
Although the airline industry carries some two billion passengers annually and 40 per cent of inter regional exports of goods by value and generates only 2.5 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, there is growing concern about air transport’s impact on the environment.
Neil Steffen, the Chief Operating Officer of Fly540, said, “We are pleased that the gaseous emissions for each passenger carried on our ATR 42-320 aircraft are 15 times less than a car and nitrous oxide emissions are also much lower. Unlike jets, our turbo prop aircraft operate at relatively low altitudes and have much less impact on the ozone layer and the upper atmosphere.”