Letter to the Editor: Challenge Local Municipalities to Pursue a Tree-Planting Program
As a member of the Town of Cortlandt Conservation Advisory Council, I would like to propose a challenge to all the municipalities of Westchester County and their CACs: I propose the 1,000-tree challenge. The goal would be for each municipality to plant 1,000 trees within a time frame. I’m aiming for that goal within a three-year time limit. I can’t think of an easier way that local governments can help combat global climate change.
The man-made climate disaster can also be ameliorated by a man-made solution. This is a cheap and easily affordable plan to help out at the national and global level. Nature has taken billions of years to develop a system of absorbing CO2 emissions (which is what trees do and then convert it to oxygen), and when trees shed their leaves, the decomposing leaves thus release held up carbon to warm the climate during the winter months.
This challenge can also be done with a public-private partnership since we all have to have some responsibility for the well-being of our planet. I would encourage readers to contact their local officials to advocate in pursuing this challenge. If you find that you’re going nowhere fast, take the time to plant some of your own trees on your property (native species please). Everyone has a part to play, and even with a small act can help turn the tide of climate change.
Emil Moussa
Cortlandt Manor
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