Established in 1996, National Tree Day has grown into Australia's largest community tree planting and nature care event. The program is a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to their community.
Each year, around 300,000 people volunteer their time to engage in environmental activities that educate Australians about the world around them. Since 1996, over 26 million trees have been planted around the country by over six million volunteers.
A key component of the National Tree Day campaign is Planet Ark’s Seedling Bank program, which launched in 2019 with the goal of supplying native seedlings to schools and community groups participating in National Tree Day activities across the country. Since it’s inception the Seedling Bank has directly supported 132 groups in their efforts to plant over 80,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses.
This year, Planet Ark and Toyota Australia are asking Australians to connect with nature and their community on National Tree Day as the campaign seeks to plant a million native trees, shrubs and grasses in support of Australia’s environment and communities.
Key information on this year’s campaign is outlined below:
Dates:
- Schools Tree Day – July 28, 2023
- National Tree Day – July 30, 2023
Key activities:
- Tree planting and nature care events hosted by schools, councils and community groups around the country.
- Educational resources for schools including activity sheets, lesson plans and the National Tree Day Schools Competition.
- Funding for beneficiaries of The Seedling Bank program, which provides financial support to National Tree Day volunteers for planting activities. Funding has been provided to 90 schools and community groups to date, resulting in 38,000 seedlings planted.
How schools, councils, community groups and members of the public can get involved:
- Find and volunteer at a National Tree Day planting site in your area - https://treeday.planetark.org/find-a-site/.
- Become a National Tree Day coordinator and host a site of your own at home, work, school or in the community - https://treeday.planetark.org/toolkit/#how-to.
- Donate to The Seedling Bank to support community-led environmental projects across Australia - https://treeday.planetark.org/donate/.
- Check out the range of online resources to support planting events, including how to guides, posters, certificates, web graphics and relevant paperwork - https://treeday.planetark.org/toolkit/.
Find out more about the National Tree Day program - https://treeday.planetark.org/.
Key Facts:
Dates:
- Schools Tree Day – July 28, 2023
- National Tree Day – July 30, 2023
Key information:
- National Tree Day was established in 1996 and is now Australia's largest community tree planting and nature care event.
- Since 1996 over 26 million trees have been planted by over six million volunteers
- Planet Ark's Seedling Bank launched in 2019 to supply schools and community groups participating in National Tree Day plantings with native seedlings.
- To date the Seedling Bank has supported 132 groups plant over 80,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses.
Key activities:
- Tree planting and nature care events hosted by schools, councils and community groups around the country.
- Educational resources for schools including activity sheets, lesson plans and the National Tree Day Schools Competition.
- Funding for beneficiaries of The Seedling Bank program, which provides financial support to National Tree Day volunteers for planting activities. Funding has been provided to 90 schools and community groups to date, resulting in 38,000 seedlings planted.
About us:
About Planet Ark
Planet Ark Environmental Foundation is an Australian not-for-profit organisation with a vision of a world where people live in balance with nature. Established in 1992, it is one of Australia’s leading environmental behaviour change organisations with a focus on working collaboratively and positively. Planet Ark promotes and creates simple, positive environmental actions – for everyone.
Contact details:
For further information, interviews or audio-visual materials please contact:
Liam Taylor
Head of Communications
02 8484 7205 / 0449 530 525
Jennifer McMillan
Communications Manager
0421 031 369
