Haiti Verte

Yesterday we celebrated Haiti's version of Earth Day.  The government announced the planting of 1,200,000 trees in an effort to reduce the deforestation problem-- a good beginning that has to be sustained if we don't want all the good topsoil of Haiti running down the mountains into the sea.

Here's a shot of our young boys and girls carrying their seedlings which were planted in a nearby field.

This is Rivaldo proudly planting his cherry tree.

We marked the day with several agricultural activities including planting 100 cherry trees on our property.  It was a concerted effort, young and old side by side, digging holes, planting the seedlings, watering...

This is a photo of our tree farm in Demion which is about a half hour from here on a motorcycle.  These trees (mahogany and cedar) are five years old.  Our plan is to harvest a percentage of these trees every year to be used in our carpenters' shop and, of course, replant new trees.  It's a small project in the grand scheme of things here but it is a step in the right direction.  Hope your Earth Day was as much fun!