MOTHER EARTH CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED FOR MOTHER’S DAY

This Mother’s Day (March 14th) a new campaign by conservation charity Trees for Life will give people the chance to care for Mother Earth by having a specially-dedicated tree or grove planted in Scotland’s Caledonian Forest on behalf of their mothers.

The scheme allows people to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss by helping to restore a valuable habitat in the Highlands. Following centuries of deforestation, only one per cent of the Caledonian Forest currently survives.

Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life Executive Director, said: "Caring for Mother Earth is one of the best ways to mark Mother’s Day in 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity. As we celebrate mothers’ care for their children, we can simultaneously create a positive gift for our children by restoring healthy ecosystems like the Caledonian Forest."

Mother’s Day sees a huge increase in the sale of cut flowers, which often have a significant carbon footprint as they are flown to the UK from overseas, with fossil fuels used in their cultivation, transport and refrigeration. Pesticides and artificial fertilisers used to promote their growth also contribute to the negative impact they have on the environment.

By contrast, every tree creates tangible, positive environmental benefits by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, providing a habitat for wildlife and boosting biodiversity.

Writer and broadcaster Vanessa Collingridge is backing the new campaign. She said: "As the mother of three boys, I feel it’s my job and my pleasure to teach them that the best way to express love is to respect and honour all forms of life, whether human, animal or plant. When it comes to showing you really care, such as on Mother's Day, cut flowers are like an infatuation – a big thrill that lasts for a week or two. However, the gift of a tree, grove or forest lasts for generations. There's no better way to show true and enduring love."

Single trees with a personalised certificate cost £15. Groves of eight trees, with a certificate and a personalised page on Trees for Life’s website, cost £50 and extra trees can be added for £5 each.

People can also support Trees for Life’s award-winning restoration of the Caledonian Forest by joining its acclaimed Conservation Volunteer Weeks. For more information on the charity, see www.treesforlife.org.uk or call 0845 458 3505.

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Notes to editors
• Trees for Life aims to restore the Caledonian Forest to an area of 1,500 square kilometres in the Scottish Highlands west of Inverness.
• Since planting its first trees in 1991 in Glen Affric, Trees for Life has planted over 820,000 trees. Its awards include 1991 UK Conservation Project of the Year, the Millennium Marque in 2000 and Top 10 Conservation Holidays worldwide in 2009.
• Trees for Life is a partner in the world-wide celebrations of 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. The diversity of life on Earth is crucial for human well-being and now is the time to act to preserve it. For information on events, initiatives and exhibitions across the UK visit www.biodiversityislife.net