Growing trees is divine, no matter your faith

Milcah Chemos, Faith Kipyegon and AIU CEO Brett Clothire planting a tree at Lobo Village in Eldoret Uasin Gishu County on March 29,2023. [Christopher Kipsang, Standard]

I recently stepped out of my apartment to breathe cleaner air, having worked behind closed doors for hours, in what felt like a prison.

If not acting introvert in these residences where one barely knows the next door neighbour, pets and nature work when family and friends can't be there.

So as I listened to wisdom from one Mwavunyu Mombo out there, I appreciated the breeze and watched monkeys jump from one tree to another.

Our discussion shifted to nutrition the moment I spotted ripe loquats hidden beneath branches and leaves of a seemingly older non-fruity tree.

The two trees united to give shade, home for insects, and birds that wake us with songs every morning, plus free vitamins. The loquats tree belongs to no one in particular.

This reminded me of some sweet oranges I once plucked from one of many trees lining the streets of Marrakech, Morocco when I visited many years ago. I found it a nice and easy way to give free vitamins to public.

Trees are precious! There are moments I have sat alone under a tree and felt like I had company. The likes of whistling pine even "sing" when it is windy.

There must be a reason why trees offered our forefathers places of worship before civilisation.

To date, bushes and forests such as Giitune, Mt Suswa, Kaya Kinondo and Ramogi Hill, are still sacred places. The Mugumo tree holds a special place among the Kikuyu. Most sacred forests and hills have survived because local communities have made tree cutting a taboo.

The Maasai community, for instance, encourages pruning rather than felling a tree. The indigenous sacred forests therefore not only help conserve biodiversity, but are also a good means to mitigate climate crisis.

What if these efforts were mainstreamed in places of worship! This week, the PCEA started a campaign to grow 10 million trees, and Forestry PS Ephantus Kimotho saw the light, and acknowledged how divine such actions were.

Clerics of whichever faiths, together with their followers, are an integral team to work with in achieving the desired tree and forest cover.

Yet we must use such opportunities to give free fruits. April has been a holy month, with Ramadan for the Muslim ongoing and Easter ended for Christians. These faiths acknowledge the importance of trees.

In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned and realised they were naked, trees offered their first clothes.

In Islam, planting trees is seen as charity that Allah rewards. Among the Jewish, the burial of a loved one is followed by planting of a fruit tree to keep the departed in mind.

The fruits borne of such trees offer continual nourishment. Among the Hindu, trees are viewed as the reborn children of those who plant them.

Among the Adventists, this has been a stewardship emphasis week, and Mother Earth can be a focus in such times.

Trees offer solutions to the climate crisis through carbon sequestration. They protect top soil, attract rain, home to insects and animals, and are themselves a support system for clinging plants among others. All these efforts to grow trees work for the good of all.

If you struggle with the idea of how and where to plant trees, you can start with fruit trees, have them planted in schools, roadsides, hospital compounds, farms and more, to give free access to certain vitamins.

This is a good way to give back to the society. God will surely reward you, because this is a noble and divine service.

The writer is communications manager at GreenFaith. @lynno16 | [email protected]