London, May 18, (dpa/GNA) – Queen Elizabeth II launched a tree-planting drive on Monday to mark 70 years since she took the throne.
The Queen’s Green Canopy scheme, being run by climate charity Cool Earth and the British government, was launched on Monday.
It aims to encourage people to plant trees from October through the end of 2022, the year which marks the queen’s platinum jubilee.
Buckingham Palace released an image of the queen and Prince Charles, her son and the person next-in-line for the throne, to kick-start the occasion.
“Whether you are an individual hoping to plant a single sapling in your garden, a school or community group planting a tree, a council, charity or business intending to plant a whole avenue of trees or a farmer looking to create new hedgerows, everyone across the country can get involved,” Prince Charles said in a video released for the event, at one point calling the drive a “treebilee.”
The monarch has planted around 1,500 trees across the world during her reign.
British schools and community groups are able to apply for 3 million free saplings from conservation body the Woodland Trust as part of the project.
It is being launched as part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s virtual Chelsea Flower Show, taking part online this week.
The famous London event usually takes place in person, but was cancelled last year and is going online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
GNA