Worldwide tree planting

St. John Paul II invited us to encourage and support ‘ecological conversion’, seeking to make the goods of the earth available to all (Catechesis of 17 January 2001). It is in this spirit that Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si’, invokes St Francis of Assisi as an example of care for an integral ecology, lived with joy and authenticity (LS10). Pope Francis also expresses in the same encyclical the concern for the loss of biodiversity due to the lack of adequate analysis of the substitution of wild flora (LS39).

Bearing in mind that “the environment is a collective good, the heritage of all humankind and the responsibility of all” (LS 95), the World Youth Day (WYD) Foundation Lisbon 2023, in partnership with the Global Tree Initiative (GTI), launches a worldwide tree-planting challenge that aims to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and climate change, bringing to public attention its effects.

With the support of GTI, WYD Lisbon 2023 will offset part of the environmental footprint generated by all activities involving this organization. So that the legacy of this World Youth Day is even more positive and lasting, we invite everyone to join this movement. Mobilize your group for a tree planting in your locality; gather pilgrims, family and friends for this moment; call associations and local authorities to collaborate.

World Youth Day belongs to all of us. The collaboration of everyone involved will therefore be essential if we are to realize our ambition, guided by Pope Francis’ encyclicals, Laudato Si’ and Fratelli tutti, to make WYD Lisbon 2023 as sustainable as possible.

How can you participate? It’s very simple!

Consult here the Tree Planting Guide proposed by the Global Tree Initiative. It will help you to understand what equipment you need, and to think about which tree is the most suitable, when and how to plant, among other things.

Planting also implies caring. Make sure that the planting site is suitable for this action and that the tree you plant is autochthonous, that is, that it is of a species adapted to the place where you intend to plant it.

Follow the steps below to dedicate the tree(s) planted.

With your collaboration and the participation of GTI, we will be able to create a map that includes all the trees planted and dedicated to WYD Lisbon 2023. It is therefore essential that in the form you select the option “JMJ Lisboa 2023 Plantação Mundial de Árvores” (WYD Lisbon 2023 World Tree Planting) in field 5 “Campaigns”. You can also, together with your group, tell your story and write your own dedication to WYD Lisbon 2023, the Patrons, the Community, Pope Francis. The choice is entirely yours!

With your help we can really offset part of the impact of WYD Lisbon 2023!

We hope we can count on you! Together, we are on our way to the most sustainable World Youth Day possible. On the way to a true ecological conversion, to which Pope Francis invites us.

For more information, do not hesitate to contact us at sustentabilidade@lisboa2023.org.