So here we are at the end of Trees Are The Key Awareness Week (where did that go!?) but of course, the work goes on. We so hope that we’ve managed to pique your curiosity and provide a bit of inspiration over the last seven days.
It’s more important than ever that we continue to protect and reforest our beautiful planet, and we can all make a difference, even though it might feel overwhelming at times. “What difference can I really make,” I hear you cry. “I’m so small and the need is so big. Anything I do is such a tiny drop in the ocean…” Let me reframe that – the ocean is made up of tiny drops; collectively, they’re a force to be reckoned with.
So it seems a good day to point you back towards our Educational Learning Platform to check out what we’ve got on offer, including our newest course ‘An Introduction To Climate Change.’
Tracey West, Word Forest CEO, says “I believe that if we’re able to influence the way people behave and interact with the environment in a good way, we’ll see positive knock-on effects in many areas. Think about the environment for a moment in the wider sense in respect of food, plastic, fashion, technology and so on. Word Forest isn’t only aiming to reforest Kenya to contain the metaphorical ‘raging fire’ that is our climate emergency, these sustainable living courses will give us a direct line to the arsonists! They have the power to rehabilitate people through education, reshaping their thinking!
It’s a big aim, I know, but that’s how we roll at Word Forest. We will continue to do all we can to mitigate the problems our planet is facing by applying positive solutions.”
We must thank the amazing Lindsey Selleck for all her hard work on the ELP and for pulling the courses together. Lindsey joined us after finishing her Masters in Environmental Engineering. She says: “I was interested in the work done by the charity overall. More specifically, I was drawn to work on the ELP as I wanted to share the knowledge I have developed throughout my education and personal life with others to help them understand what they can do to help our planet and why it is needed.
‘An Introduction to Climate Change’ has been developed using research conducted by interns from the University of Oxford. This course has been constructed in a way which aims to provide easy to digest information on a topic that is usually discussed in rather complicated terms. I hope it will be able to highlight the need for change and the importance of the work which Word Forest is doing.
I would love for the ELP to continue to expand in the future with a range of lifestyle and educational courses, including those which can be used in Kenya. It would also be great if the resources can be used in schools to teach students how to be better environmentalists.”
We have more courses coming through too. It’s all rather exciting! And, in the spirit of learning, or celebrating what we already know, here are the answers to Tuesday’s quiz, as promised. Thank you so much for joining us this week and for your continued support. We’d be lost without you!
Aspirin is historically linked with which tree?
Willow. Salicin, a product derived from willow bark, was used to make salicylic acid which is a precursor to aspirin.
How would you say “Thank you very much” in Swahili?
Asante sana
Which is the odd apple out? Cox, Egremont russet, Jazz, Pink fir, Winter pomeroy, Nonpareil
Pink fir – it’s a spud!
In Norse Mythology, what type of tree was Yggdrasil?
Ash
Where in the UK can you find rainforest?
The UK’s western seaboard, including the west coast of Scotland, north and west Wales, Devon, Cornwall, Cumbria and parts of Northern Ireland, provides ideal conditions for temperate rainforest, also known as Atlantic or Celtic rainforest, which is extremely rare.
Name the tissues that transport water and nutrients around trees.
Xylem (water) and phloem (nutrients)
Where would you find the oldest trees in the world?
The White Mountains in California, USA. They are Bristlecone pines and the oldest is over 5000 years of age.
What does the Latin word ‘arboretum’ mean?
Place with trees
The small leaved lime, Tilia cordata, is also known by what name?
Linden
What is dendrochronology?
The scientific method of accurately dating tree rings to the exact year that they were formed
From which language is the word chlorophyll derived?
Greek: khloros ‘pale green’ and phyllon ‘leaf’
What is the name of the bark commonly used as a spice?
Cinnamon
How would you coppice a tree and what are the main two reasons for doing so?
Cut it down at its base to create a ‘stool’ from which new shoots grow, to produce sustainable timber and open up areas of woodland to sunlight to encourage biodiversity
What date is the UN International Day of Forests?
21st March
Using the botanical definition of the word fruit, which it of the cashew is the fruit, the nut or the apple?
The nut. The botanical definition of a fruit is a mature, ripened ovary and its contents. The cashew apple is a pseudo-fruit, formed from the swollen stalk of the nut
The Team
