OREANDA-NEWS. May 14, 2010. To make Latvia the greenest country in the world, SEB banka has launched a pan-Latvian tree planting campaign in collaboration with Latvia's State Forests titled "Oxygen". It foresees planting 2 231 503 spruce and pine trees during the year and throughout Latvia. To reach this goal, all 5th and 6th year pupils and the general Latvian population, including SEB employees, are invited to start planting trees this spring, reported the press-centre of SEB banka.
 
The nationwide tree planting campaign "Oxygen" will mainly involve the participation of grade school students. Soon, all 5th and 6th year pupils will receive tree seeds and reference materials on how to correctly plant and grow trees. We also invite all residents of Latvia, including SEB employees, to participate and get their family and friends involved in planting a tree (or trees). All those wishing to participate can receive free packages of tree seeds at all branches of SEB banka and Latvia Post.

The official seed sowing will take place 21 May, when everyone who has decided to take part in the campaign will be invited to sow the tree seeds in boxes and grow them on their windowsills until the trees are ready to be planted next spring in the forest, a park or garden, or even next to a SEB branch.

The "Oxygen" campaign will take place from 5 May until June 2011, when the over two million planted trees will have grown big enough to be planted in the forest to continue growing in a natural environment. More detailed information about the tree sowing and planting can be found at the website www.skabeklis.lv.

"SEB banka is proud to take part in this campaign and promote environmentally friendly thinking and environmental care. The new project "Oxygen" is an initiative aimed at combining forces to prove that Latvia can excel with its nature, greenness, clean air and, even more importantly, the active participation of the youngest generations in the development of this excellence. I sincerely hope that the 5th and 6th year pupils will demonstrate that sowing and growing a tree is an absolutely realistic and achievable task for anyone," said CEO of SEB Latvia Ainars Ozols.

The 2008 World Environmental Performance Index by Yale University placed Latvia at the top of the list among the most environmentally friendly countries in Eastern Europe and 8th in the world. "Latvia's achievements are remarkable. We have reason to be proud and with some effort can become the greenest country in the world. Sowing and planting trees is an everyday task for Latvia's State Forests, but only together and by involving everyone in Latvia can we look forward to the title of the greenest country in the world," said Tomass Kotovics, leader of the project "Discover the Forest" by Latvia's State Forests.