De Montfort University has planted 1,000 trees
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Image Credit: Michael Gaida via Pixabay
Trees remove pollution from the atmosphere, improving air quality and human health. In this way, De Montfort hopes to contribute to a wider message for the need for reforestation across the planet.Habeeb Otukoya, a Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Science student at university who visited the National Forest said: “The future of the environment is everybody’s responsibility. I grew up in Peckham, in South London, with loads of buildings, houses, buses, so the air is pretty polluted.
“So coming out here into the open air is so much fresher; you feel it right away.”
A recent report in the Science journal has showed that globally there is "room for an extra 0.9 billion hectares of canopy cover, which could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon in areas that would naturally support woodlands and forests".
Image Credit: Chris Morgan via geograph
Karl Letten, De Montfort's environment and sustainability officer, said: “We’ve made some really exciting progress and measures in terms of embedding sustainability within the campus and what we teach our students.
“But with this project we are extending that, going into the wider community to offer a real, physical benefit. By planting these trees we can help to absorb carbon and reduce climate change."
Freshers this year will also be receiving a 'grow pack' containing a 'plant pot, dried soil and seeds'.
Media relations officer at the National Forest, Carol Rowntree Jones, said: “We’re looking forward to working with many more young people through DMU and showing them the amazing opportunity right on the doorstep of the university.”
Lead Image Credit: Giani via Pixabay