Do the Wave: What one Organization is Planting in Order to Raise Biodiversity Awareness

What if when you planted a tree, it caused someone else to plant one after you?

This is what occurred on May 22, 2010: the 2010 Green Wave of Action. The idea is that tree planting will start in the far East at the International Date Line, and then continue westward. As each hour goes by, more trees pop up on the site’s interactive tree-planting map.

The Green Wave’s overarching idea is that children and biodiversity awareness can be brought together, one tree at a time. The Green Wave encourages youth civic engagement in the environment and directly contributes to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is an international treaty to preserve life on Earth.

Whether your involvement is organized within a school or not, the website has instructions for how to participate in the Green Wave. The general jist is that first, you sign up to be a part of the Green Wave website, then register your tree after some research about what you or your school wants to plant. During this process, students and teachers learn about why they are planting their particular species of tree in their area of the world.

Additionally, each group has their own page on the Green Wave site, which they fill with their information, publicity, and what sort of celebration they will have on May 22. On the actual day of the tree planting, participants are encouraged to document the ceremony either through photos or a short video.

Ultimately, the goal is to not only encourage youth service and environmental awareness, but also to make tree planting a more common practice worldwide. The Green Wave this year specifically focused on reducing biodiversity loss, but each year seeks to foster an overall understanding of taking ecological action for a better future.

So, next May 22, maybe you, your school, or your organization will have set aside this day in particular to nature, and you will plant a tree alongside other schools and participants. Each year, the Green Wave grows, join the contagion!

Find out about more "green" service projects on ICP's Green Youth Service Resource Center at www.icicp.org/greenservice.