Gift of Green is on August 9, 2pm-4 pm in the Petone Town Centre, applications close at the end of July.
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
Give a new-born a tree and they will respect the earth. That is the idea behind Keep Petone Beautiful?s Gift of Green, which has been gifting trees to new-borns for the past 17 years. Gift of Green coordinator Roy Hewson says, ?We want to impress environmentalism on the children early on and have people grow trees in Petone?. The event symbolises new birth and gives a sense of stewardship to members of the community. ?800 trees have been planted to date all over the area.? He says sign ups have been slow, but with one month left to register they hope things will pick up. ?You get a letter commemorating the event, and naming which tree you received,? says Mr Hewson. Gerald Davidson has been involved in the scheme for years and says the Rotary Club has been great at keeping the Gift of Green afloat each year. ?It?s an annual event to mark new babies born in Petone. ?The idea comes from North Carolina, Greensborough, where they give pine trees to new-borns,? he says. Gift of Green is on August 9, 2pm-4 pm in the Petone Town Centre, applications close at the end of July.
