Greening Havana
Greening Havana
Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:25 GMT
Source: Content partner // Inter Press Service
By Ivet Gonzalez
HAVANA, Oct 31 (IPS) - Sandra Ribalta is no longer satisfied with getting more and more people involved in the task of greening the neighbourhood of Las Cañas in the Cuban capital. She is now working to raise awareness of "climate change, as the key reason for reforestation."
"People grow plants for aesthetic reasons, to have prettier surroundings. But the state of the environment is critical and crying out for help," Ribalta, the coordinator of Ando Reforestando, a community reforestation project, told IPS. This self-managed initiative also seeks to complement, in urban areas, the national reforestation plans.
Nearly three years ago, Ribalta began to scatter seeds along the sidewalk in the next block over. "Some neighbours asked me if I had moved to the next block, others asked if I was crazy," she said. But today she has a plan to fulfil as part of her contract with the Unidad Provincial de Ãreas Verdes, or Provincial Greenbelt Unit.
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Ribalta's rooftop is a nursery for scarlet cordia, cherry, orange and moringa trees and amaranth plants, among others, which are good for shade and for purifying the city air without the risk of the roots lifting up the pavement. "Many people worry about this, which prevents them from planting a tree in their yards or along the sidewalks in front of their homes," she said.
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