Solution17 for Climate Action, in partnership with the Lagos State Government, the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria (AHK Nigeria) and Mercedes-Benz, has launched “Trees From Art” (TfA), an initiative aimed at championing climate awareness and education, as well as sustainable tree planting in the state.
The Climate Education component of the Trees From Art in Lagos State will begin on July 6, 2022, at Vetland Junior and Senior Grammar School, Agege. The current phase follows the planting exercises and digital capturing of the 100 trees held between April and June 2022 with the support of Mercedes-Benz.
The Mercedes-Benz partnership was in response to the call made by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the launch of the initiative with stakeholders, environmentalists and young persons to support the state and make the environment green, habitable and safe.
At the tree planting event, the Deputy Managing Director of Weststar Associates Limited (authorised general distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria), Mrs. Mary Ojulari, spoke on the necessity for everyone to work together in protecting the environment. She reiterated Weststar’s commitment to supporting initiatives that protect the environment and increasing awareness of climate change.
According to her, Mercedes-Benz’s goal is to have “an emission-free fleet of vehicles”. With this vision, Mercedes-Benz is committed to climate protection and air pollution control.
“Our ambition is to make our fleet of new cars Co2-neutral by 2039 and to have no relevant impact on inner-city air quality. Mercedes-Benz takes a holistic approach to climate protection. Our goals cover all stages of the automotive value chain – from technical development to raw materials extraction, production, service life and recycling. For us, the Paris Agreement on climate protection is more than a commitment – it is a conviction.
“The school management has also inaugurated the Creative Club50 to facilitate practical training and capacity building. One Hundred Student Tree Managers will monitor and care for the trees in addition to the designed module on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Education, ArtNovation and SDGs,” Ojulari noted.
At the digital capturing exercise, the CEO and Project Director, Foluke Michael, appreciated the support from Asia-based Climate Technology Company, EcoMatcher, for their dedication towards achieving the planting of 100,000 Economic Trees in Lagos State by 2023 and 10 million trees in Nigeria by September 25, 2030.
“The technology will track tree location, tree facts, and carbon sequestration. It will also help businesses to integrate tree planting into their processes: connect customers to its sustainability journey, set up loyalty programmes, trees for employee engagement, trees for rewards, and transparency carbon offsetting programme,” she added.
Katharina Felgenhauer, the Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, thanked Lagos State Government and all the partners who have continued to support this initiative: Mercedes-Benz Nigeria (Weststar Associates Limited) and Bosch. She welcomed more companies to join the partnership toward a sustainable Lagos State and Nigeria.
