In Italy, “Arbor Day” (or tree-planting day) is celebrated under a beautiful name: Giornata Nazionale degli Alberi. This date is set on the 21st of November – which means it is just around the corner!

On this day, many tree-planting events take place in Italian schools, municipalities, parks, and other spaces, as communities organise the planting of new trees. Italy also has several monumental trees, so on this day, these trees offer the Italian people an opportunity to celebrate and honor nature, as well as their heritage and Italian traditions.

Since the start of the Global Tree Initiative, our community in Italy has planted nearly 30,000 trees! Or, 29,705 trees, to be exact. These plantings include 44 seed-clay-balls, planted by our founder, Tenzin Ösel Hita, back in 2021.

Ösel and the seed-balls at the Buddhist Monastery of Lhungtok Choekhorling, Italy.

If you take a look at our global tree-planting map, you can explore the other plantings that have taken place in Italy. For example, Marco Farina, our Global Tree Initiative (GTI) Regional Coordinator for Italy, organized this planting of 130 trees in Palermo. It was done with the assistance of a group called “Circolo Arci Tavola Tonda”.

Circolo Arci Tavola Tonda and their trees.

On another occasion, one of our environmental heroes, the Dalai Lama, planted 4 seeds at the Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery in Pomaia! You can read more about this story here.

The Dalai Lama in Italy, sharing seeds with children

Our friend, Rosario, planted and dedicated more than 300 trees, and told us that starting in 1981, he had the special privilege of being the gardener of his teacher, Lama Thubten Yeshe. He recalls how he started gardening for Lama Yeshe at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Pomaia-Pisa, Italy. Inspired by his teacher, Rosario said that he will always be a gardener; a gardener for the planet and all living beings!

Rosario at work.

These are just a few examples of what our inspiring community in Italy has done over the last years.

Are you inspired?!
Are you ready to plant a tree this Italian Arbor Day?!
Are you ready to help us #PlantGrowSave!?

If you need help on how to plant a tree, you can have a look at our tree-planting guide. We even translated the guide into Italian, and you can download the PDF here!

And, remember to tell us about your tree-planting activity by reporting and dedicating your activity, here!

Good luck to everyone who is preparing for this tree-planting day in Italy. We look forward to hearing about your plantings!

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See cover image source here.