ABRIS CAPITAL PARTNERS - we planted trees and shrubs on the school grounds

Thanks to Abris Capital Partners, the area around Elementary School No. 341 in Warsaw has gained 20 large trees and 22 shrubs.

In October, together with volunteers from Abris Capital Partners, we organized an event that included not only the planting of trees and shrubs, but also educational and birdhouse-building workshops. The plants have been planted on the grounds of the Warsaw Elementary School with Integrative Branches No. 341 named after the Creators of Children’s Literature.

Do we really need tree planting?

Trees and forests are crucial to the existence of life on our planet. They clean the air, filter the water, prevent soil erosion, lower the temperature and guarantee shelter and food for more than three-quarters of the organisms living on land.

Study after study shows how important the environment that surrounds humans is to their well-being and development. We need contact with nature because we are an integral part of it, and we increasingly feel the scarcity of nature while staying in our concrete cities.

Trees in cities improve the living comfort of residents on many levels:

Provide shade and lower the air temperature in summer;
In winter, they provide protection against wind, for example;
Improve air quality;
Reduce noise;
Reduce the risk of flooding and waterlogging;
Increase biodiversity;
Positively affect the physical and mental health of residents;
Improve the well-being of residents;
Foster social contacts;
Reduce crime.

Planting trees on the grounds of educational institutions is a great benefit for children as well.

Children whose bodies are just developing are proving to be particularly sensitive to environmental conditions. The presence of greenery, especially in school or kindergarten areas, can help not only in learning, but also in building mental resilience, or social relations. Contact with greenery reduces stress levels, improves concentration, lowers blood pressure, and helps fight depression.

During a study conducted on children who were in constant contact with nature, a larger volume of the brain’s gray matter in the prefrontal cortex was observed compared to children who rarely spent time in green spaces. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is considered “most human” and plays a key role in thought processes.

Tree planting campaigns are an excellent opportunity to create environmental awareness.

After a short, essential training, volunteers from Abris Capital Partners, with the support of the Foundation’s experts, sprang into action and planted 20 large trees at the facility. The school grounds, thanks to this action, will be enriched with tree species such as pedunculate oak, Norway maple, rowan.

Trees, in addition to the aforementioned benefits will additionally provide children with materials for play or artwork, for example. Acorns, maple “noses” or “rowan beads” have inspired designs and children’s games for generations.

During the event, volunteers also planted 22 shrubs of guelder-rose, which will not only become a support for pollinators and birds, but also work well as decorative plants.

Biodiversity is crucial in the fight against global climate change.

Invasive species and the decline in biodiversity are a major threat to our native wildlife, but also to our economy and our quality of life. Nature provides us with many very valuable services that correlate with the level of biodiversity. Ecosystem benefits are major public goods that are not a market product and do not have a price.

That’s why during the environmental workshop together with Abris Capital Partners we talked about biodiversity and its role in the functioning of the entire planet.

A simple and effective method of protecting birds is to hang nesting boxes.

Knowing the local wildlife helps create a bond with it and encourages caring for it, so in an ornithological workshop, participants had the opportunity to learn about the most common birds in Poland and learn more about their habits. Another positive aspect of the event was that all the action items were attended by children. By building environmental awareness from an early age, we can teach the younger generations to respect nature and show them how to take care of the planet to make it healthy and beautiful.

The practical part of the workshop consisted of twisting birdhouses on their own, which was a good opportunity to train manual skills, especially for children.