Beiruting News

Following the annual tradition of serving its continuous commitment to increase the space area of trees in Lebanon, Azadea Foundation - non-governmental organization, managed and financed exclusively by Azadea board members and employees since 2011 - teamed up with Jouzour Loubnan, a Lebanese reforestation NGO, to organize its 4th Plantation Day on Saturday, October 31st in Kfardebian. Over 300 Azadea employees and their families joined their efforts to plant 4,000 native trees across the mountain near the areas planted in the previous years.

The Jouzour Loubnan team offered the enthusiastic volunteers, the training and material needed to plant the trees, after which Azadea employees and their families spent several hours planting Lebanese Cedar and Juniper trees under Jouzour Loubnan's supervision. This day marked the highest participation rate since 4 years reflecting a wider awareness level on the significance of preserving the environment among both employees and partners.

For the past three years, Azadea Foundation's reforestation program followed a long-term plan to test the best techniques for successful and sustainable planting results. The tests, which are conducted in partnership with the Saint Joseph University and Jouzour Loubnan, focused on individual fencing of the seedlings with no irrigation, and proved to ensure a high survival rate of trees while reducing the cost of reforestation. Considering the Foundation's long-term plan to increase its environmental impact, it is always committed to supporting research to improve plantation methods for better sustainable results in the years to come.

Moreover, serving Azadea Foundation's mission on spreading environmental awareness and triggering younger generations to take action towards preserving the environment, the Foundation invited to its 4^th Plantation Day, the winners of its first School's Envirothon, to learn on ground plantation. The latter competition held last April, included more than 130 fifth- and sixth-graders from five public and private schools to compete in a series of environmental experiments and questions. To award the winning school, over 20 students from Patriarch - Rabwe School joined the Azadeans on this day.

"At Azadea Foundation, we always seek to lead by example starting with our employees teaching their children good eco practices to help preserve our nature. Thus, we are proud to contribute for the 4^th year in a row in the mission to spread more green areas in Lebanon along with our committed employees and their families," said Marwan Moukarzel, President of Azadea Foundation. He then added, "We also trust that using scientific methods ensures better and more sustainable results on the long run, hence our continuous support for research that improves plantation methods.".

Commenting on the occasion, President of Jouzour Loubnan, Raoul Nehme commented: "Together, we plant tomorrow's forest; and together we make the change we wish to see. Our team is a solid energetic and ambitious one, but without the support of our friends and generous donors who believe in our green mission, we would have not been able to plant and protect more than 200.000 native trees across Lebanon to date".