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Students from Nanaimo's Mountain View Elementary spearhead a five-year-long fundraising campaign to plant nearly 3,000 trees worldwide in honour of Earth Day. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)
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‘We decided to do our part:’ Nanaimo elementary students planting thousands of trees

Apr 22, 2026 | 4:11 PM

NANAIMO — Almost 3,000 more trees will be planted across Canada and around the world, thanks to dedicated local students.

In honour of Earth Day, students from Mountain View Elementary held an assembly to share some exciting news: after five years, they had achieved their goal of raising enough money to plant six trees per student and staff member.

It was announced on Wednesday, April 22, a total of 2,772 trees will be planted, with their efforts initially sparked by a book, according to Evelyn, a grade seven student and part of the initiative’s leadership group.

“There’s this woman that made a book, and Ms. Keenleyside read that book, and it said in the book, that if every year for six years, we planted one tree per person, it would stop climate change. So we decided to do our part and just plant six trees altogether.”

Mountain View Elementary students sharing the good news about their tree-planting goals in time for Earth Day.
Mountain View Elementary students sharing the good news about their tree-planting goals in time for Earth Day. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

One of the main messages of the book, To Speak for the Trees, by Diana Beresford-Kroeger, was climate change could be stopped if everyone on Earth planted six trees in the next six years.

Beresford-Kroeger herself submitted a video message to the kids during Wednesday’s assembly, thanking them for taking her message to heart, saying they might be the first school in Canada to lead this kind of tree-planting effort.

To raise the money, students held plant sales to encourage growing food at home, sold upcycled items, and held a Love Your Planet parade to help educate their fellow students about climate change.

“I think Earth Day is important because we have to like, really relish the earth that we’re on, because if we don’t, then it will just die and us along with it,” said Evelyn.

Each student coloured six trees per person, which were then displayed around the gym and school to help them better visualize exactly how many trees six per person actually is.
Each student coloured six trees per person, which were then displayed around the gym and school to help them better visualize exactly how many trees six per person actually is. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Fellow grade seven student Kael said 270 trees will be planted in Canada, representing the amount raised by Mountain View School teachers and staff, while the remaining trees will be distributed around the world in a variety of species.

“I think it kind of depends on the environment. Some of them will be in Canada and some of them will just be planted where they’re needed most, so it really depends on the environment.”

The students said they plan to continue with those Earth-friendly habits they’ve learned throughout this process, like always picking up their trash, turning off lights when not in a room, and limiting the length of their showers.

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 every year to demonstrate support for environmental protection, with multiple environmental awareness and clean-up events taking place locally.

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