What a beautiful day it was to celebrate reaching the community milestone of over 500,000 new trees planted and counted in London’s Million Tree Challenge. This event marked the official passing of the half-way mark toward the goal of planting one million new trees in the Forest City! As part of the London Heritage Council’s Door Open London event this year, people gathered on site at the Westminster Ponds Centre near the Wellington building to celebrate, listen to an inspiring program of speakers, play games, eat food, win prizes, get a tree to plant on their property, and enjoy the reveal of how many new trees have been planted.
We had some fabulous partners who helped support the day, including the London East Lions Club with their BBQ, the London Arts Council with artist KAY and musician Sevaria, Childreach with their Imagination Playground, London Environmental Network with a booth, Reel Nature videotaping the event, City of London with their Thirst Station and Thames Region Ecological Association’s Waste station. Of course we could not put on an event such as this without the power of many dedicated volunteers, some who helped plan the event and many more who went that extra mile on the day to make sure it was enjoyable for all!
With incredible prizes donated by 17 MTC partners, the fundraising raffle was a success raising over $1,000. Thank you to prize donors: Bisou Bridal London, Boler Mountain, Budweiser Gardens, Church Key Bistro-Pub, Downtown London, Four Points Sheraton, The Grand Theatre, Harris Home Hardware, Heeman’s, New Balance, Parkway Garden Centre, Spruce Moose, Sunripe Market, The Tea Haus, Try Recycling, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and White Oaks Mall.
Londoners had the opportunity to win while they enjoyed cake, activities, and the exploration of the grounds. With so much going on people of every age could find enjoyment and belonging. It was a truly joyous occasion for our community and the future health of London’s urban environment.
We were so excited to officially announce the number of trees planted since the beginning of the Million Tree Challenge and to be together to start the next half of our journey towards one million. Coming in at 502,547 new trees planted and counted, we cannot wait to see what the next half of this challenge brings. There are many ways to get involved in this challenge, and we’re counting on you to be part of the rest of this journey! Learn how you can help by visiting our website.
We are so grateful for all Million Tree Challenge partners, event supporters, our amazing volunteers, and the community members who came out to celebrate this major milestone.