URBEM is a not-for-profit organization that operates in Lisbon, Portugal. So far, they have planted two small Fast Forests using the Miyawaki Method, one in 2022 and another earlier this year.
Our friends at URBEM work to bring greenery back to the city of Lisbon and therefore help reconnect people to forests and Nature.
The team has been busy redefining their communication.
Similar to our goal at Global Tree Initiative, they want to highlight the links within the community forming around the planted forests.
They are also keen on promoting a sense of connectedness between people and the land. Ultimately, URBEM wants to tone down the idea that the above two are separate.
The poem below was written by one of UBREM’s team members, Jennifer Nafziger, and it is called,
This Is Not a Tree
This is not a tree.
It’s a home. A shelter. A part of the Earth and a part of you.
This is a vital seam in the delicate fabric of life.
This is not a tree, a separate thing, an object.
There is no place where Earth ends and tree begins,
Because we are all one organism.
We’re intricate parts of a single whole.
This is not a tree. It’s a part of our bodies.
And URBEM helps reunite us once again.
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Thank you for your work and for sharing your beautiful vision with the world.
You can follow URBEM’s work on Facebook and Instagram, and if you are in Lisbon, you can pay them a visit! Learn more here.
Jennifer currently lives in Portugal. She enjoys going on walks in places like Sintra’s Natural Park.
What a TREEt to read this poem 🙂
Thank you.