We hope that in the coming years the “Trees of Friendship” Initiative will be organized in other cities and the number of planted trees will increase.

Kledisa Cela

This year, the tree planting action was carried out in two cities in Albania, Elbasan and Tirana. ETMI organized the planting of 50 trees in Tirana. Since this was our third year of implementing the “Trees of Friendship”regional initiative, we had no difficulty in organizing it and the planting was carried out successfully.

Initially, we contacted the representatives of the Parks and Recreation Agency (APR) in Tirana, who were willing to cooperate in organizing the tree planting. They helped us in selecting the location for planting and the types of trees suitable for this location. They proposed that this year,  the action takes place at the Park of Farka artificial lake, taking into consideration the need for afforestation of this park. The site – a park that has been visited by many citizens in recent years – is located 6 km from the center of Tirana.

Also, it is worth emphasizing that 16 employees of the Parks and Recreation Agency prepared the tree planting site before we arrived and planted the trees together with ETMI representatives and local activists. Every year, ETMI also signs a donation contract for tree planting with APR representatives.

We are very happy to be part of this initiative for the third year in a row, aiming to improve air quality in the Western Balkans. We hope that in the coming years the “Trees of Friendship” initiative will be organized in other cities and the number of planted trees will increase. Together, we can contribute to clean air and a healthier life.

 

Kledisa Cela, Environmental Engineer with a masters degree at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, who has joined ETMI organization as coordinator of projects aiming to empower young people in sustainable development projects