On Thursday June 2nd, students at Kerhólsskóli in Grímsnes and Grafningshreppur planted 55 trees in Vinaskógur by Þingvellir, in collaboration with the Ombudsman for Children, the Icelandic Forestry Association and the Yrkja fund.
The occasion for the planting was the Children‘s Forum which was first held in November 2019 and again in March of this year. Environmental issues are very important to children and great emphasis was placed on these issues in discussions at both the Children‘s Forums held. The aim of the planting is to offset carbon emissions from emissions related to the travel of the child MPs that attended the Forums and especially those who came the furthest, in accordance with the child MPs’ emphasis on environmental and climate issues and environmentally friendly modes of transport.
Vinaskógur was founded on the occasion of the Land Reclamation Forest Campaign in 1990, based on an idea by then president Mrs. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who is a patron of the forest. She is also the patron of the Children’s Forum and it is therefore appropriate to choose Vinaskógur for planting now. All students at Kerhólsskóli took part in the planting together with the staff of the Ombudsman for Children. Sævar Helgi Bragason gave a small talk on environmental and nature protection and the planting concluced with refreshments offered by the Ombudsman for Children. The Icelandic Forestry Association is in charge of planting and caring for Vinaskógur.
Sævar Helgi Bragason gives a talk.
Working together.
Putting the tree in the ground.
Planting well under way.
The youngest kids helped to plant the largest tree.
