Department of Environmental Science Plants 1,000 Trees
The Department of Environmental Science Education under the Faculty of Science Education (FSE), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), in support of the Green Ghana Initiative, has planted 1,000 trees in Winneba and its environs.
The initiative is a component of an ambitious afforestation programme to restore degraded forest ecosystems and support the global fight against climate change. The Department planted Raffia Palm, Umbrella Tree, Ceiba spp., Leucaena, Mahogany, Citrus, and Neem at the South, Central, and North campuses of UEW, Winneba Junction, and nearby communities including Ateitu, Osubonpanyin, Gyangyanadze, and Nsuekyir.
The Ag. Head of the Department of Environmental Science, Prof. Benjamin Ghansah, indicated that the decision to take part in the Green Ghana Initiative was driven by the numerous advantages of trees.
"We know we exhale carbon dioxide and then inhale oxygen, so we cannot over emphasise the importance of trees in this environment we find ourselves in. We want to live, and once we want to live, it means that we have to make sure the tree also lives," he averred.
Prof. Ghansah pointed out that more than 60% of the almost 500 trees his group planted last year had taken shape and were flourishing. He noted that the neighborhood routinely compliments his outfit for its efforts to promote sustainability and improve aesthetics in the neighborhood.
"What I will tell Ghanaians is that sustainability means making provisions for the current generation without compromising the future generation's ability to meet their own needs. So, when you cut down trees, please replant them. That is the only way we can survive as individuals. Just like I said earlier, we always inhale oxygen. You'd appreciate the cost of oxygen when you're admitted to the hospital and required to be put on it.
"Imagine a world without trees; to obtain oxygen, every one of us would need to lug a cylinder behind us. So, why won’t we use the natural way of breathing? And please, when we cut down trees, let’s do well to replant," he advised.
For his part, the Dean of FSE, Prof. Victus Samlafo, stressed the necessity to partake in the initiative by planting some more trees.
“The trees we planted last year have grown up, and I think it should be something that we need to continue every year so that at the end of the day we will have a good environment to live in,” he stated.
