With March 20th being the first day of spring, what a better day than March 21st to celebrate World Planting Day! Did you know that a mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year? Or that one acre of forest can absorb double your car’s yearly output of CO2? Trees are incredibly important for a variety of reasons, and World Planting Day is an excellent opportunity to take it upon yourself to plant a tree and have a lasting impact on our planet!

Here are some examples of how you can celebrate World Planting Day this year: 

  • Plant a Tree or sapling: There are multiple guides that you can look to for learning what kinds of trees are native to the area you live in, and instruct you on how deep to dig for the tree, how often to water the tree, and other important information to get you started.
  • Start a Vegetable Garden: Starting a garden is a great way to plant something! Having a vegetable garden means that you will have fresh produce grown in your own backyard to eat. Look to the Old Farmers Almanac for a Vegetable Gardening for Beginners Guide. 
  • Plant a flower seed in a pot or window box: Doing something as simple as planting a flower in a pot is helpful to the environment. The flower produces pollen for bees, which helps to keep our plants, animals, and ecosystems healthy and flourishing! 
  • Use the Ecosia Web Browser: A search engine alternative to Google that plants a tree every time that you search for something on the internet.
  • Join a Community Garden: If you do not have space for a garden at your house, look into a community garden that may be in your neighborhood that you can join. Through this, you can plant herbs and vegetables as well as get to know your community.
  • Attend a Tree Planting Event: You can do your part in planting by attending a tree planting event. There are various organizations and nonprofits that run these events (even Sankofa!), and are always looking for planting volunteers.

While World Planting Day is only one day of the year, doing something as simple as planting one seed today will help future plants to grow and flourish! For a fun activity to do on World Planting Day, check out the activity page on our website to learn how to make a DIY Seed Bomb! 

Diagram showing how to grow plant from seeds illustration

Interested in joining a community garden or attending a tree planting event? Come check out Sankofa’s Wetland Park located at 6401 Florida Avenue, our Community Garden located at 27 St. Claude Ct., or attend one of our second Saturday Restoration Days!