Browsing: green legacy

Inside the Ethiopian record breaking 350 Million tree planting campaign

A nation-wide tree planting initiative kicked off on the morning of Monday 29th July aimed at breaking the world record of planting 200 million saplings on a single day. India currently holds the world record. They, however, beat that record and planted 350 million trees with hours.

Officially launched by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in May, the nation-wide reforestation program, also popularly known as green legacy, is aimed at recovering the trees and forests that have been lost over the years.

Getahun Mekuria, Ethiopia’s Minister of Innovation and Technology, tweeted estimates of the number of trees being planted throughout the day Monday. By early evening, he said 353,633,660 tree seedlings were planted in 12 hours.

Staff and representatives from the UN family, African Union, Diplomatic Corps and Ethiopians from all walks of life gathered in Gulele Botanical Gardens and in a park in central Addis Ababa to play their …