Red Cross in record bid to plant 5 million trees in an hour

NAIROBI: The Kenya Red Cross Society plans to put the country on the world record map by planting five million trees in one hour.

The humanitarian organisation said it will make its bid to break the Guinness World Record in November in 19 regions across Kenya. If successful, the attempt, dubbed the Tree Challenge 2016, would double the current record held by the Philippines, which planted 2.4 million trees in one hour.

“As thousands of people have expressed interest in being part of this Tree Challenge, the Kenya Red Cross Society, in partnership with Connectik – a global software company – has set up an Adopt-a-Tree App to facilitate those wishing to participate in the tree-planting experience in November 2016,” said Abbas Gullet, Secretary General, Kenya Red Cross Society.

“Through this app and as part of the Tree Challenge, this online platform has been developed
to enable well-wishers to participate in the conservation and restoration of our environment by virtually donating a tree online for only Sh350.”

A mock tree-planting exercise in August saw 825 trees planted by 45 individuals in an hour around the buffer zone of Kiambere Dam. This translated to 18 trees planted per person in one hour.