EnviroKids October 2018 Issue

Thank Our Trees

We use paper every day for learning , creati ve exercises, and work purposes. But have you ever wondered how paper is made?

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Trees prevent soil erosion and provide habitats for birds, insects and other animals . Human beings rely on trees for oxygen and shade . Trees also protect our homes from wind and rain , and are often used at farms as natural walls. Besides their major importance to our existence, trees are also beautiful and bring a piece of na- ture into our cities and suburban areas. Sadly, deforestation is destroying thousands of acres of forest each day.

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Trees are grown to maturity in large forests. Some of these forests are created specifically to grow paper, while others are illegally cut down.

These logs are trans- ported by truck to processing factories known as paper mills.

Look at all the trees! Did you know? Johannesburg is the Largest Man-Made Forest in the world and has over 10 million trees.

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Trees are cut into logs by tree fellers.

(Pictured is the suburb of Kensington, Johannesburg).

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Printing factories and shops produce books and paper products that are ready for use.

At the paper mill, machines grind the

wooden logs into pulp, which is bleached, then sprayed and run through rollers that compress the pulp into one continuous roll of paper.

The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest covering an area of 5,5 million km², and is shared by nine countries (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana).

These products are sold in shops and are used at home, school and work.

The paper rolls are cut to size and pack- aged for shipping to other facilities.

You can prevent further deforestation! Recycling paper saves wood, which means that fewer trees need to be cut down.

Celebrating Arbor Week 2018 GLENCORE, in partnership with WESSA, registered 17 schools to be a part of the Eco-Schools programme. As part of celebrating Man- dela’s 100 birthday in July, WESSA and GLENCORE planted 100 trees at 10 of the schools. The focus of the project is sustainable and wa- ter-wise vegetable gardens. WESSA and GLENCORE aim to teach schools how to start and maintain gardens, address food security, and help learners to come up with solutions to everyday challeng- es. September was a month where individuals and groups were encouraged to plant trees. 5 trees were planted at each of the 7 remaining schools to celebrate Arbor week.

Have you heard about LEAF? Learning about Forests (LEAF) is an international programme run by WESSA in South Afri- ca, that aims to engage students with their natural surroundings. LEAF encourages envi- ronmental education among learners, teachers and communities to increase knowledge about the key role forests play in enabling sustainable life on our planet, including the cultural, ecologic, economic and social functions and benefits. LEAF schools can work on a variety of action projects through the five LEAF themes: Forests & Biodiversity; Forests & Water; Forests & Products; Forests & Climate; and Forests & Community. Register your school today by emailing cindy.cloete@wessa.co.za.

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