Seicho-No-Ie Germany Holds A Tree Planting Session in the Outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany
On February 27, five members of the Seicho-No-Ie corporation, Seicho-No-Ie Freundeskreis in Deutchland e.V., had a tree planting session in Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany. It was covered by a local newspaper and attracted people’s attention.
The tree planting gathering was held to offset the CO2 emitted at the 20th Seicho-No-Ie Europe Leaders’ Workshop held in March 2010 in addition to the donation collection for the same cause.
According to Rev. Yuji Otsuka (Ordained Minister stationed in Europe), the fact that the Leaders’ Workshop is held every year to explain the Movement Policy and the “Movement that Grows with Nature” helped to raise the leaders’ awareness about the problem of environmental protection. CO2 offset was proposed during the Workshop. Subsequently, on May 16, it was decided to take it up at the corporation’s board of directors meeting. After discussing the actual offset method, it was decided to donate 193 euro to a natural protection organization in Germany, NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation) to pay for the offset and also plant a tree.
Conducted with the cooperation of NABU and out of concern for the ecosystem, an apple tree of the kind that had existed in the area from the olden days was planted in an orchard in Rosenheim, Frankfurt.
About 20 members of NABU and others attended the tree planting gathering. The news was covered in the February 28 issue of the local newspaper, Frankfurter Rundscau, entitled “Natural Protection Effort by a Religious Organization that Has Special Interest in Nature and Environment.”
Mr. Nobert Fischer, Vice Chairman of Seicho-No-Ie Germany, copied a section from the Words of Light (2010 version which includes English) and attached it to the tree that was planted to stress the importance of coexistence with nature.
Remarks by Rev. Yuji Otsuka, Ordained Minister Stationed in Europe
“I am happy that Seicho-No-Ie’s ‘Movement that Grows with Nature’ led to this tree planting activity. Also, the fact that we could send out Seicho-No-Ie’s message about international peace and coexistence with nature in Germany was a big progress. We will continue to work on tree planting and further reduction of CO2 emissions.”