861 trees have been planted through the campaign of the Women Presidents’ Organisation
The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) is the ultimate affiliation for successful women entrepreneurs worldwide. There are currently 137 chapters worldwide. Each chapter of 20, serves as a peer advisory group based on the four C’s of the WPO: Collaboration, Confidentiality, Commitment and Connections.
The WPO “Plant a Forest” campaign was launched by WPO South Africa in support of SAReforest. 861 trees were planted on the special WPO Reforest site on Kein River Cheese Farm along the Klein River near Stanford in the Western Cape’s Southern Overberg. The Klein River Cheese Farm is a long-standing partner of SAReforest.
Embracing their WPO mantra of “Reaching Farther. Together” , the WPO’s campaign has had a significantl impact on the project, has supported Overberg conservation and actively invested in the tomorrow of this pristine region.
This is how the WPO communicated the importance of reforestation through their campaign :
Trees restore ecologies. Careful and well planned re-establishment of indigenous trees results in sustainable conservation. Threatened species have a better chance of survival and entire eco-systems revive and become sustainable. Businesses who believe in sustainability, contributes to a triple bottom line, do so as more than an environmental gesture—it makes long-term economic sense.
Why is Planting Trees a Necessity?
Planting a tree is a good idea, but planting an indigenous tree as a component of a natural forest within a planned area, has the added benefit of creating a safe habitat for natural wildlife, supporting entire eco-systems, while giving clean air, protection, food and support to the smallest and biggest of living plants, insects, animals and humans.
Economic Sense – Trees Make Economic Cents
Besides preserving ecosystems, trees provide numerous services vital to our communities which can be equated to Rands and cents. Sadly, these monetary benefits are often overlooked when evaluating the worth of urban “green” infrastructure.
Economic sense – “deforestation is rarely in the economic interest of the country concerned. More often it is due to a combination of bad policies, population growth and poverty. In some parts of the world, such as the highlands of Bolivia, Peru and Nepal, and in the countryside surrounding many fast-growing cities in Africa, trees are lost because the poor use wood for fuel.” THE ECONOMIST
The WPO South Africa has left a living legacy !