Scotland, known for its rugged landscapes, misty lochs and ancient castles, also boasts a rich diversity of tree species that contribute to its unique and picturesque scenery. From the iconic Caledonian pine forests to the delicate rowans scattered across the highlands, Scotland’s trees are an integral part of its natural heritage, besides playing a crucial role in the country’s ecology. But what are these trees and what are they called? Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/08/26/exploring-scotlands-diverse-tree-species-a-glimpse-into-the-countrys-arboreal-riches/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Here’s a reflection from our Kenyan team on International Day of Forests this year. We mark this day in March by creating awareness of the importance of creating new and conserving existing forests. During this day everyone is encouraged to undertake activities involving forests by highlighting the importance of ecosystems in the fight against climate change. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/08/09/international-day-of-forests/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Permaculture – the idea of living lightly on the planet – has been around for half a century. For some, it’s a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of living. For those living in countries devastated by climate change, it can be the difference between life and death. In this series of three articles, we explore the 12 permaculture principles and how the communities in Kenya are using permaculture to live securely on the land. Part 1 and Part 2 cover the principles of permaculture. This part describes the challenges the communities in Kenya face and how Word Forest is supporting them as they develop permaculture practices to survive and thrive. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/08/02/permaculture-principles-and-practice-part-3/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Permaculture – the idea of living lightly on the planet – has been around for half a century. For some, it’s a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of living. For those living in countries devastated by climate change, it can be the difference between life and death. In this series of three articles, we explore the 12 permaculture principles and how the communities in Kenya are using permaculture to live securely on the land. This part covers the second six principles. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/07/26/permaculture-principles-and-practice-part-2/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Permaculture – the idea of living lightly on the planet – has been around for half a century. For some, it’s a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of living. For those living in countries devastated by climate change, it can be the difference between life and death.In this series of three articles, we explore the 12 principles of permaculture and how the communities in Kenya are using permaculture to live securely on the land. In this article, we introduce the origins of permaculture and the first six principles, which focus on the bottom-up perspective of elements, organisms and individuals. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/07/19/permaculture-principles-and-practice/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
This lovely article from our Kenyan colleague shows how women’s lives are being transformed through education and empowerment. Thank you to all our supporters for facilitating this work. "Behind every great woman in Kenya, there is another great woman!..." Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/07/12/the-strength-of-a-woman/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Trees have long been revered by the Celtic peoples for their wisdom, and used as crafting materials and even for their healing properties. It is no wonder that they are often so central to the stories that have carried through the ages and are described in such great detail despite their perceived simplicity. In this series we will explore native UK species and their place in the great tales of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and beyond. Today is the summer solstice, a time associated with light and the banishing of demons and evil spirits. The Celts believed that the sun’s intense heat would burn away darkness and open the path to the abundance and wealth of the summer and harvest months. It is also a time associated with one tree related story in particular: the ever raging battle between the kings of holly and oak. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/06/21/trees-and-their-place-in-celtic-mythology/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Over the past 18 months, our Permaculture Teaching Centre in Garashi has made a significant positive impact on tree planting communities across rural Kenya. Its very existence has proved to be an absolute blessing, strengthening our ability to reforest the country and mitigate our global climate crisis. However, having a great educational establishment is one thing; having access to reliable data and communications is quite another. Digital communications, particularly across rural Kenya, are deteriorating due to several factors, including frequent power outages, ageing infrastructure, bandwidth limitations and connectivity problems caused by extreme weather events. We’ve identified three essential steps to solving this problem. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/06/13/abc-fundraiser-for-digital-data-will-save-lives/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
This is a lovely article by Cyprian Ogoti, environmental journalist and passionate conservationist in Kenya, about why inclusivity is important and the difference supporting women as well as men can make. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/05/24/support-for-women-in-conservation/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Our Special Scientific Advisor, Professor Bill McGuire recently penned an article for The Guardian. As shocking to the core as it is, we are delighted to reproduce it verbatim with Bill’s kind permission. We hope it nudges you to take more responsibility for the precarious situation the planet is in meteorologically and climatically. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/04/19/46c-summer-days-and-supercell-storms-are-britains-future-and-now-is-our-last-chance-to-prepare/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Our co-founders, Tracey and Simon West, are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new fundraiser for us called Wordplay. It’s a monthly poetry and spoken word event which will be held in the Leigh Brown Room at the Unitarian Hall in Sidmouth. Simon comments: “Wordplay will give poets and writers of prose a chance to perform their work with a microphone, perhaps for the first time, in front of an appreciative audience. It’s always fascinating listening to pieces performed by their creators in the way they envisioned they would be. The South West is teeming with talent and I can’t wait to open the doors to let the wordy magic happen!” Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/04/12/sidmouth-celebration-of-the-spoken-word-helps-combat-the-climate-crisis/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Our decision to ensure the UN’s International Day of Forests would always fall within Word Forest’s Trees Are The Key Awareness Week, was a deliberate one. This amazing celebratory day for biodiversity always occurs on the 21st of March and this year, it fell on a Thursday... Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/04/05/celebrating-the-international-day-of-forests-on-rusinga-island/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Time flies by when you’re having fun and over the past week, we had lots of that and the week has whizzed past. Our mission was to help you forge a deeper connection with trees and the natural spaces that surround you. We really hope you enjoyed the features and articles we posted, as much as we enjoyed creating them. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/24/trees-are-the-key-awareness-week-2024-its-a-wrap/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
In December 2023, our co-founders, Tracey and Simon West started hosting a monthly fundraiser: the Word Forest Bring & Share Vegan Lunch. It was such fun and so successful, it swiftly moved to being a regular event on our calendar. Click here to find out more about the lunches and to check forthcoming dates. Read this article and access the links and resources discussed in this episode here: https://www.wordforest.org/2024/03/23/word-forest-bring-share-vegan-lunches/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Trees have long been revered by the Celtic peoples for their wisdom, and used as crafting materials and even for their healing properties. It is no wonder that they are often so central to the stories that have carried through the ages and are described in such great detail despite their perceived simplicity. In this series we will explore native UK species and their place in the great tales of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and beyond. In this episode: Alder, Hazel and Rowan. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/22/tatkaw2024-5/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Creativity is a vital skill that is important in all aspects of life. Through creativity, one is able to think outside the box, communicate better, stand out, adapt to change, build relationships and connections and improve physical and mental health, not forgetting that it also increases happiness and wellbeing. The sad thing is, as children, we Mothers of the Forest on Rusinga Island were not taught creative skills. However, thanks to Word Forest’s kindhearted supporters, we have a fantastic opportunity to learn them as adults! Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/21/tatkaw2024-4/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
‘Optimistic, educational and community-driven’ best describes #TreesAreTheKey, the incredible eco-film created by Word Forest back in 2019. Filmed by Tim Short and narrated by Kate Winslet, it was released in October of that year by Tracey and Simon West, founders of Word Forest, and brings to our screens the community of tree planters near Garashi in Kenya with whom Word Forest works. This collaboration has paved the way for a brighter future for us all. It’s a film that everyone could benefit from watching and being inspired by and, with your help, this could become a reality! Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/20/tatkaw2024-3/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
The benefits of spending time in nature and the positive impacts on well-being are supported by a range of scientific studies in fields such as environmental psychology, public health and medicine. Words such as ‘nature and health’, ‘forest therapy’, and ‘green spaces and well-being’ prove that being in the natural environment can improve our physical, mental and emotional well-being. This article will delve into the captivating world of forest therapy and the incredible benefits of hugging trees. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/19/tatkaw2024-2/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
Welcome to another Trees Are The Key Awareness Week! We hope you’ll enjoy the content we’ve got lined up for you. It’s designed to help you form closer relationships with the beautiful trees in your favourite places and with the ones we’re planting 5,000 miles away in Kenya. The next few episodes come from articles from our 2024 #TreesAreTheKey Awareness Week. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/18/tatkaw2024/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/
The China Agreement in the CoP15 Biodiversity Convention held in China was to bolster cooperation on conservation and sustainable management of forests, combating illegal logging and associated trading. This was China’s first move in making a decision to support the global effort to reduce deforestation. At CoP26, in Glasgow, China and the US made a joint statement which recognised that ending illegal deforestation would contribute to the goals of the Paris agreement. Listen for a tour through the history of China's reforestation efforts. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/08/chinas-reforestation-journey/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/