Dutch kids swung into action on 'Tree Festival Day' (March 21st) to make their mark for green cities in Holland. More than 130,000 children planted about 500,000 trees and shrubs in 75% of Dutch cities. This amounts to a newly planted area about the size of 100 football pitches.

The event was set up by the Dutch ‘National Tree Foundation’, an organisation dedicated to promoting planting and environmental education among school children and supported by the Dutch Green Forum.

Lights, music, action!

Plus 50 kids with stars in their eyes had the chance to perform in front of the Queen and an audience of the 700 children and 250 adults. Trees were central to the theme of the muscial play.

Kids invited to make a Green Wish!

The joint efforts of the Dutch Green Forum and the Dutch National Tree Foundation has distributed a tree toolkit to 8500 teachers of ten/eleven year old children.

Peter Derksen, director, explains: ‘the toolkit contains posters explaining the benefits of a 100 year old tree in a child-friendly way, provides activities for teachers to run with their classes and culminates in the children writing their “green wishes” for the future. The best of these will be sent to Beatrice Queen of Holland. This is a brilliant way of involving children and giving them a voice’.