On March 1, we planted 100,000 trees…

The numbers mainly serve to express a rough magnitude of the work done by the 10 Million Trees community. 

It is not the exact number that matters. Approximately 10 Margitsziget-sized trees were planted today. More importantly, this took place at 281 locations (in 106 municipalities) across the country, as well as in one municipality each in Slovakia and Szeklerland, where nearly six thousand people took up shovels at our invitation and encouragement to plant trees.

This is a crowd that no environmental action in this country has been able to mobilize before. Bős-Nagymaros, Zengő, the expropriation of lakes, and the deforestation decree have moved significant crowds, but never before have so many people come together for proactive action rather than protest. 

I am incredibly proud!

IT WAS AN UPLIFTING DAY

Over the past few days, as if ordered, there has been some rain in various places. 

Unfortunately, it was little, far from compensating for the months of drought we have been suffering, but it helped us dig more easily today, on the morning of National Tree Planting Day.

ELEVATION AND FLOWING JOY

I have been in a heightened mood for days, almost floating above the ground. I am filled with happiness and an all-encompassing good feeling. 

I am surrounded by wonderful people, incredibly talented colleagues, deeply motivated individuals committed to nature, who have become my friends and each other’s friends over the past five years through the 10 Million Trees initiative.

With this current action day, we suddenly faced such a task that we had to multiply ourselves, and we gained a number of new colleagues. Among the newcomers, we have not been disappointed by anyone; on the contrary, we are enriched and growing with them.

I feel the greatest gratitude and appreciation for the incredible work ethic of Franciska Hervai and Gabi Kéri. 
They are fantastic women, true pillars of the foundation, and primary representatives of the cause.

And I could certainly list many more names here, and I should, I hope they all feel that I think of them with gratitude and good feelings.

Women, and fortunately now sometimes men too, who have dedicated countless hours, attention, and energy over the past weeks and months to ensure that today’s event is such a success.

And thanks to all the outstanding public figures, I would like to highlight our ambassador from the beginning, Lia Pokorny, and my old friend Péter Geszti, who have spread the news of National Tree Planting Day far and wide.

Thank you for that! Without them, we certainly would not have been able to reach so many sensitive and engaged individuals.

POLITICS AND US

As is almost self-evident with an event of such significance and apparent popularity, daily politics touches us, despite all our original intentions. 

What is most frustrating is when there are those who only watch or see which political party representatives participate in our events. It is not vanity, but a commitment to reality and truth that makes us annoyed in such cases. Therefore, we particularly appreciate it when we are informed correctly.

Wherever we could, we have stated: the trunks of trees are circular; they have no left or right side.

Just as there is no left or right side to climate disaster, drought, or flooding. We have one world, which we generally overload and sometimes destroy. And this Earth does not care whether we cause harm from the left or the right. 

And conversely, on these creative days, when we wish to be kind to the Earth and nature, it doesn’t matter where we vote otherwise.

At 10 Million Trees, we like to think of our work in such a way that when we see ditches, we plant trees in them. Trees that will work for the benefit of everyone in the future.

EVERY POLITICIAN SHOULD PLANT!

During all our previous plantings and movements, we have cautiously avoided slipping into the harmful magnetic field of party politics, where we have no business, and we have also avoided being pushed by careless, superficial opinion-makers. 

However, we are changing this now.

We invite all representatives of the country’s Christian Democratic, Fidelitas, Tiszasziget, Civic Circle, and DK (and who knows how many other political formations or sympathetic communities exist) to come and plant with us next time, for themselves, and thus inevitably for each other, for the benefit of humanity.

Next year, during the election year, we will also hold National Tree Planting Day. Come, let every political community show that they are responsible and caring towards nature, the future, and the living environment of our children tomorrow!

HOPE

We are living in an extremely contradictory, turbulent period. I know, because I see and have experienced that in the face of anxiety-inducing news, all those thousands who came out today to plant trees, who stepped out into the early spring sunshine, are much less affected by the negative impacts pouring down on us from the media and politics.

Tree planting cannot help but promise hope!

It cannot help but convey the message that there is and will be a tomorrow. That humanity, no matter what monsters we perceive breaking into our space, has a better self. 

There is a beautiful side to today’s human existence as well. And that better self is not helpless or adrift. Yes, we can grab the shovel, go out to the park, the edge of the forest, the open space, and plant trees. We can establish a connection, a personal alliance with nature, and find our true place under the sky arching above us.

Today, thousands of us experienced this. Together with children, dogs, families, friends, and neighbors. It was beautiful and uplifting. I wish for more and more people to join us for these good feelings.

I sincerely thank everyone who participated.

We will meet (at the latest) next year, on the second National Tree Planting Day.

Bojár Iván András – 10 Million Trees, Founder