The Raanana Municipality in cooperation with J.N.F. will hand out 2,000 trees, free of charge for Raanana residents, as part of its green fair in honor Tu Bishvat to be held at the Yad Labanim Plaza on Friday, 29.1.10, from 9:00 to 14:00.

As part of its cooperative effort, J.N.F has donated trees of different kinds, including:  pink bauhinia, white bauhinia, callistemon, Mediterranean Cyprus, Tabor oak, Cyprus oak, Pistacia atlantica, Judas Tree, Jacaranda acutifolia, Rosewood, Ziziphus spina, laurel, carob and European Hackberry.

Since the supply of the trees is limited, residents are invited to order the saplings in advance on the municipal website and to fill in the form, specifying the requested tree.  Up to two trees may be ordered. Click here

This initiative is part of Raanana’s efforts as a city that protects the environment and part of the municipal effort to conserve energy and protect the climate.  Trees, which absorb carbon dioxide, help reduce greenhouse gases.

Currently, 48 percent of Raanana’s area is green and open public areas.   Raanana boasts 60,000 trees of which 5,000 are protected species and there are 18 square meters of green area per resident (where the norm in Israel is 8 sq.m. per resident).  Recently, the Raanana Municipality planted 150 trees as part of the first sage of its project to plant the Raanana Forest, which will circle the city and create a green ring surrounding it.

The distribution of thousands of trees will help increase the green areas in the residents’ backyards – another in a list of steps taken to develop and protect the city’s green spaces in the spirit of the municipal vision of a tree for each resident.

The trees will be distributed at the green fair, which will offer booths of gardening professionals, and information sheets will be distributed to residents on how to plant and care for the saplings.  There will also be booths run by local nurseries and flower shops that will sell plants and flowers, gardening tools and fertilizer.

Keren Roi Lo Echsar Foundation will also run a booth that will sell Rakefet (cyclamen) flowering plants for NIS 10 – proceeds will be donated to the foundation’s efforts on behalf of Raanana’s needy children.  There will be an organic booth that will include explanations and lectures on preparing compost, ways to conserve water, etc.

Mayor Nahum Hofree:  “The Raanana Municipality is committed to working toward protecting precious natural resources and has initiated an important project of distributing trees to residents, in order to expand the circle of partners in protecting the environment.  I believe that only through joint activity, will we succeed in protecting the Earth for a better future for all of us.”