Invitation to participate in Tree O’Clock - 5th December 2009

7th September 2009

The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) is pleased to announce that it is working in partnership with the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), the National Union of Students and the BBC Breathing Places campaign to invite Universities and Students’ Unions to participate in an attempt to break two Guinness World Records as part of National Tree Week. ‘Tree O’Clock’ will be taking place on Saturday 5th December 2009.

The two records the campaign is attempting to break are:
• The most trees planted in multiple locations in one hour (current record 653,143)
• The most trees planted in one location in one hour (current record 18,124)

We are keen to involve universities in this event because we believe it provides a good opportunity for universities:
• to showcase their commitment to biodiversity, through the management of university campuses, and;
• to engage university staff and students (and possibly their local communities as well) with environmental issues as part of a high profile national campaign.

We are hoping that a number of universities will be interested in committing some space for planting trees on 5th December as part of this campaign. Student volunteering groups or Students’ Unions may be able to work with Estates Departments to find appropriate space and involve volunteers in preparing the space and planting trees.

The NCCPE is part of the Beacons for Public Engagement project, which aims to inspire a culture change in how universities engage with the public. Our Student Volunteering Initiative, funded by v, is aiming to engage over 4,000 student volunteers in a number of national campaigns, exploring a range of models for involving students in volunteering on a national level.

For further information, see the attached letter below.