How was our year in 2023?
Our completely subjective and arbitrary selection from the past year. It’s almost impossible to share every moment and event – here is our brief summary of the year 2023.
January
In 2022, we reached an agreement with K&H Bank, allowing the K&H Cooling Groves program to kick off with a flying start in early 2024. It’s no secret that, based on the experiences of year-end plantings, we had high hopes for the 2023 planting season!
Tree plantings in January: Balassagyarmat, Dunaharaszti, Nógrádmegyer.
February
Under the name Carnival Planting, we held the first open planting of 2023 on February 18 in Rákoskert. We spent the time in a pleasantly wintry atmosphere by planting a grove forest.
Tree plantings in February: Balatonkeresztúr, Budapest, Felsőrajk, Letenye, Nyím, Várvölgy.
March
With the support of several artists and public figures, we launched our 1% campaign, which – as it turned out later – concluded with very nice results: a total of 2,747,430 forints from 290 donations. Thank you!
The amount can only be used in 2024, and we will update you on this soon! 🙂
Tree plantings in March: Bajna, Bercel, Biatorbágy, Bicske, Budapest, Csanádpalota, Dunaújváros, Gárdony, Görcsöny, Hajdúnánás, Hódmezővásárhely, Ikervár, Jánosháza, Kál, Kisvárda, Lábatlan, Mezőkovácsháza, Nagykanizsa, Nyírpazony, Tenk, Pécs, Pécsvárad, Vaszar, Veresegyház, Vép.
April
During our Earth Month planting series, we planted nationwide. The Miyawaki mini-forest next to the Rákóczi Bridge in Budapest was completed and our volunteer team visited the small cul-de-sac village of Bezeréd in Zala County, where the community contributed to the afforestation of the organic farm by planting 2,500 native saplings.
Tree plantings in April: Albertirsa, Bátonyterenye, Bezeréd, Budapest, Dabas, Darány, Eger, Esztergom, Győr, Győrvár, Imrehegy, Jánoshida, Jánossomorja, Jászberény, Karcag, Kétsoprony, Kisköre, Kunadacs, Körmend, Nagymácócs, Mezőkeresztes, Tényő, Törökszentmiklós, Szarvas, Szeghalom, Szekszárd, Szentlászló, Szolnok.
May
The Vígszínház opened in Budapest in 1896. We celebrated the 127th anniversary with nothing less than a joint tree planting with the members of the troupe. At the cheerful planting event, we planted at least as many, if not more, trees at Szöcskerét in Budapest.
Tree plantings in May: Abaújkér, Ászár, Andocs, Budapest, Csabdi, Gesztely, Kalocsa, Kecskéd, Kistelek, Putnok, Recsk, Hajdúbagos, Hajdúböszörmény, Hajdúszoboszló, Kunbaja, Sajószentpéter, Szentbalázs, Tabdi, Tiszaújváros, Tolna, Magosliget, Nagyatád, Nemesvámos, Nyírlugos, Nyírmada, Vásárosnamány.
June
In collaboration with Budapest Bike Maffia, we planted an Edible Garden in the picturesque courtyard of the Aszódi Street Shelter and on June 10, we held the 8th National Meeting & Open Family Day at the Grund.
We Plant and Sustain! After the national tree plantings, in June we launched the intensive sustaining season, which lasts until early September!
During the sustaining process, we supported the seedlings planted in the first half of the year with water, mulch, and supports, depending on where and what was most needed.
July
In view of the summer heat, we launched our first Tree Rescue Car Campaign. Details >>>
Our goal remains unchanged: to acquire an electric car that not only transports water but also nutrients, tree care tools, and experts – this car helps where it is most needed, as we visit our plantings daily and continuously monitor the condition of the trees and shrubs, allowing us to provide quick assistance.
On July 8, in a small family circle, under an old walnut tree, we celebrated our 4th birthday, while of course saving the world!
August
We searched for space for 2 million trees!
We know that a few indispensable components are needed for tree planting:
Planters > saplings, due to access to saplings often > money, but above all > land!
How much space does 2 million trees take up? As a rule of thumb, we can accept that 250 hectares is sufficient.
Many responded to our call, allowing us to plan with nearly 30 hectares, so we found areas where we could continue our tree plantings.
If you have land you would like to offer, you can do so on this page:
10 Million Trees – Land Offer, Click!
The picture below shows Hikmet Kaya, a Turkish forest engineer, holding a photo of the area visible behind him.
However, the photo of the barren northern Turkish landscape was taken in 1978.
A barren landscape has now transformed into a vast lush forest, thanks to the planting efforts of him and his team, who have planted 30 million saplings.
September
At our picnic with Főkert at the Budapest Feneketlen Lake, we kicked off the 2023 autumn planting season by planting a Sky-reaching willow. We met on a relaxed, calm Saturday, planted, and chatted.
This month, the nationwide planting series by 10 Million Trees in collaboration with K&H Bank, the K&H Cooling Groves program, won the Cause of the Year – Green Awards!
We paused for a moment, took a breath, and regardless of the award, we look back with satisfaction: between November 2022 and June 2023, we planted a total of 555 trees and 1100 shrubs in 100 schools, kindergartens, and nurseries, so in a few years, children can play and rest in the shade of leafy trees!
Tree plantings in September: Budapest.
October
Our 11th Miyawaki mini-forest is completed in the 18th district of Budapest, Pestszentlőrinc.
210 trees and 70 shrubs were planted. It took 35 enthusiastic helpers less than 90 minutes to create a new mini-forest.
Tree plantings in October: Budapest, Baja, Kápolnásnyék, Velence.
November
We planted an Edible Garden at the Kőbánya Road Shelter. Our plantings always come from collaboration, and in this community tree planting, the staff and residents of the BMSZKI Kőbánya Road branch of the shelter, customers and staff of MrSale Suit Store, xforest.hu climate magazine, and volunteers from 10 Million Trees participated.
We planted 15 fruit trees and countless shrubs, and helped with other tasks in the garden!
Our “More Trees in Schools!” campaign has started Details >>>
Afforestation in Maglód – 1250 saplings! Turkey oaks, sessile oaks, field elms, wild pears, smoke trees, and spindle trees formed the foundation of this new planting!
On the evening of the 22nd, perhaps fulfilling the promise of the early months, we received a first-time award dedicated solely to us, the SUPERBRANDS Green Innovation Award in front of key players in the business world.
We have been planting together with the GreenGo carsharing service provider for a long time, and this November, in Budapest, in the Chestnut Garden of District XII, we planted a Miyawaki mini-forest.
At the end of summer, the Diversity Foundation approached us to support the planting of an orchard with a syntropic agroforestry system.
Tree plantings in November: Budapest, Izsák, Gödöllő, Győr, Kaposvár, Kecskemét, Küngös, Nyírbátor, Szeged.
December
Afforestation is our passion: In Mátyásföld, we enriched the landscape with 1500 saplings, initiating another forest patch. Primarily turkey oak, pedunculate oak, wild pear, various maples, and blackthorn were planted.
Our forest planting in Monorierdő, consisting of 8800 trees, was reported by ATV. On two 20×30 meter fenced areas offered by the local government, we planted 800 trees in a park-like arrangement.
As with our afforestation efforts in other parts of the country, we kept our main goal in mind here:
to reforest naturally or with methods very close to it, always aiming to create a mixed-species, native forest stand suitable for the site.
In these days, together with the Gellérthegy Residents’ Advocacy Association and Főkert, we laid the foundation for an orchard on Gellérthegy by planting 17 fruit trees.
Announcement of the K&H Animal-Friendly Groves Grant
Building on the K&H Cooling Groves program, recognized with the Green Awards and implemented jointly with K&H Bank,
the growth of animal-friendly groves can begin in 2024!
Our goal is to increase green areas with diverse plants and animal habitats, support biodiversity in the courtyards of educational institutions, and shape children’s environmental awareness.
Hungarian primary schools, secondary schools, and kindergartens can apply for the program through a grant application.
Applications for the grant can be submitted until January 25, 2024, at 4 PM on the https://allatbaratligetek.hu/ website
Our favorite Christmas gift this year is: Let there be a forest under the tree! recognition – tree planting supported with a gift certificate. You can gift a tree planting to anyone. You contribute, and we commit to planting the gift tree in Hungary in the year following Christmas.
Tree plantings in December: Budapest, Monorierdő.
