Let us celebrate life with Mother Earth: a day of planting trees in Puerto Rico

Let’s celebrate life with Mother Earth!!! That was the call Dr. William Soto, CEO of the GEAP, made unto thousands of activists in Latin America, United States, and Spain, with the objective of commemorating the “World Environmental Day”.

Discussions, clean-up and recycling campaigns, urban forestry sessions, and educational forums on the issue of protecting the Earth, were some of the activities that took place as part of the "Children of Mother Earth" project, an initiative that Dr. Soto promotes worldwide.

Celebrating Mother Earth by planting trees

With a shovel in their hand, and great expectations, dozens of volunteers from Puerto Rico arrived, during the early hours of the morning, to the banks of the Rio La Plata in Cayey, where they planted 30 native trees of 7 different species: Female Cedar, Maga, Capá Prieto, Santa Maria, Ucar and Guaraguao. This area was chosen in order to prevent erosion and to preserve the natural depth of the tributary; the trees protect the soil, and they also protect the ecosystems. Besides making the area more beautiful, they also keep it clean and oxygenated.

The human being needs to get closer to Mother Earth, feel it, experiment with it, enjoy her aromas and colors, in order to learn to love nature and respect Mother Earth as a living being which provides man with everything it needs to live. For many activists this was a very important experience because they developed a commitment with that being, of which they are a part of, and grasped that it is their responsibility to preserve it as a legacy for future generations. 

The experience of planting a tree

“Planting a tree is not merely a symbol, it is an experience that transmits life. This is the first time that I participate planting trees and it is very special to know that in one way or another we are giving something back to Earth; a living being that emits life. I feel very happy and expect to repeat this very soon.”

Stated Elizabeth Rivera, one the GEAP volunteers which took part of the day of planting trees.

This was also an opportunity for the activist, Leslie Rivera, to make contact with nature. “I planted a tree for the first time, and I was very aware of every step of the process. I felt very responsible towards planting that tree correctly, which is now small, but will grow with time. And it is not merely planting it, but we also have to take very good care of it during the first months, giving it water; it is like a child we have to take care of until it can sustain itself.”

Project: Children of Mother Earth

This is an intervention project, led by Dr. William Soto Santiago, designed and executed by the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace, with the purpose of contributing proposals related to the governance, justice, education and environmental communication and Green Citizenship, to promote actions for a sustainable development and to ensure the continuity of human life, in harmony with Mother Earth.

This project is divided in four AREAS:

·         Rights of Mother Earth, Governance and International and National Environmental Justice

·         Study and Criminalization of ECOCIDE

·         Rights of Indigenous People

Education and Environmental Communication for a Sustainable Development and Green Citizenship