The Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of the Western Region have embarked upon a two-year tree planting exercise on all degraded lands within the metropolis.
The Western South Regional Grand Knight, Daniel Jerry Donkor, told the media that the Marshallan 2018 Reunion emphasised on the need to preserve the environment for posterity.
He said the Holy Father, Pope Francis, also enjoined all Catholics to ensure that the environment was preserved, cleaned and fit for human habitation.
Worthy Brother Donkor said Marshallans worldwide believed in a clean natural environment so the Noble Order decided to collaborate with the Forestry Commission (FC) to plant trees on all available degraded lands within the metropolis and beyond.
He said Marshallans did not want the last ‘tree to die with the last man’, so tree planting had been chosen as one of the contributions of the Order to help enrich the environment for generations yet unborn to see the beauty of nature.
The Regional Grand Knight said their target was to plant over 10,000 different species depending on the availability of seedlings adding “we will plant at the Egham Grotto in the Ahanta West municipality and other places”.
He appealed to those with land not intended for use in the shortest time to release the land to them to plant the seedlings.
Mrs Serwaa Antwi added that Ghanaian should be “mindful of the manner and way refuse was disposed because many of our sicknesses, disasters and inadequate rain pattern these years was due to human making.”
The Takoradi District Youth Employment Agency, Mr Philip Aidoo, told the media that the exercise had been a partnership between schools, associations and the Forestry Commission.
He mentioned cassia, teak and opram trees as some of the species to be planted and the schools earmarked were Sekondi College, Daboase SHS and Methodist SHS all within the metropolis.
Mr Aidoo said the teak and Opam trees were recommended because of the size and would be used for the boundaries of the schools without fence walls and the cassia which grew very fast would be used as fuel wood to reduce cost in the school kitchens.
FROM PETER GBAMBILA, KANSAWORODO
