“我与北京iBeijing” 2023 Tree Planting Event Held in Changping

Spring is the best time to plant trees. On April 15, nearly 200 foreign diplomates and experts, overseas students from 45 countries, including Nepal, India, Panama, Guyana, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and Samoa, gathered in the beautiful Olympic Forest Park North Park (Phase II) in Changping District to participate in the 2023 Tree Planting Event. They planted nearly 200 trees in the park.

Mme. Zhang Qian, executive VP of the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers. She mentioned that Beijing's forest coverage rate and green coverage rate have reached 44.8% and 49.3%, respectively. The vegetation in Beijing can sequester 8.8 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The 2,000 foreign friends who participated in iBeijing Tree Planting Event in the past eight sessions have played a part in increasing carbon sequestration in Beijing. Today's tree planting event has also provided participants from around the world an opportunity to make new friends.

There were also many children at the event. Some of them were shorter than the saplings. They actively participated in the tree planting activity with the help of their families. The participants planted more than 200 saplings, including white bark pine, Shantung maple, and plane trees, under the direction of experts. Everyone was working, chatting and enjoying the event. Every participant received a certificate of honor at the end of the event. The tree planting site is located in the Olympic Forest Park North Park (Phase II) in Changping District, which is a key environmental improvement project in the Huitian Area. The park is connected to two super-large residential communities, Huilongguan and Tiantongyuan, and serves as a leisure space for a population of 1.1 million.

The theme of the 2023 Tree Planting Event is “Together for a Greener Development. It was co-organized by Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Office of Beijing Greening Commission, China Communist Youth League Beijing Committee, Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges, Beijing Minhe Foundation for International Exchanges, and the People's Government of Changping District.

Since its launch in 2015, iBeijing Tree Planting Event has been held for eight times so far. A large number of foreigners in Beijing have actively participated in the event and more than 5,800 trees have been planted at the event. This friendly exchange event has become a long-standing tradition of Beijing. As the city's biggest international tree-planting event, it plays an important role in helping foreigners in Beijing integrate themselves into the city, promote environmental improvement and green development of the city, and adds to the livability and vitality of the city.