I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees. (Post 5)

”I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.”

When the Lorax movie came out, I was so excited.  One of the signature projects of the IV has been tree planting.  This stems from our friend Tangus and his vision to reforest Barut.  

The Barut area is a small rural slum outside of the 5th largest city in Kenya, Nakuru.  Barut is about a 40 minute drive from town, sometimes quicker…sometimes slower.  There are not any paved roads that lead to our home area…dusty, dirt roads through highly populated urban sprawl.  The little towns that we drive through on the way to the IV are all their own stories themselves from Kanu St to Sewage.  Barut separates itself from the rest, at this time it is the furthest away from town and still rural.  The urban sprawl is coming at a fast pace, but for now, it is dirt roads, traditional mud houses, cows, chickens, and lots of children.

The most current Google Earth image of Barut and the IV

The first tree planting was something I will never forget.  A group of travelers, hundreds of trees in wheelbarrows, and a few hours in the community.  To date, we have had 5 plantings and have planted thousands of trees.  My daughter has heard of this and it is something she is excited about.

A group of IV travelers ready to plant

When Natalie was in 4K I was able to go in and read a book to her class.  She picked the Lorax and asked if we could give each of her friends something.  We gave them trees.  Each of the students received a card that said a tree was planted for them in Kenya.  She was 4 and that’s what she wanted.  Now, we’re going to go together and plant many more trees.  She will create relationships within the community, learn from them, and work with Tangus to reforest the area.

A picture from The Lorax

How many trees do you think Natalie can plant in a year?  What things do you think she will learn from Tangus the environmentalist?  How many friends do you think she can make?

Years from now, I picture Natalie and I talking about our year away and pulling up Google Earth and being able to see the difference BN and AN (Before Natalie and After Natalie).  Wouldn’t that be an amazing moment?  Best part about it in my opinion:  Trees grow.  As Natalie grows we can continue to watch the satellite photos. 

Do you think there are many people that can look at a satellite photo and see their impact?  I hope that is one thing we can do together, make a difference that can be seen from space.