Narbonne: roots and wings with the students of Lycée Lacroix

Festive atmosphere this Friday noon at Lycée Lacroix despite the cold and the wind that whipped faces. Why ? “Because we plant trees (in this case liquidambars)“ launches a high school student with a contagious smile, joining a cheerful little troop in the lime tree yard. Since the start of the school year, around a hundred students from the establishment, and their teachers of French, SVT, Spanish and History and Geography, have been carrying out a project around sustainable development on the theme “Des trees and ideas to sow “. It is in this context that they participate in the second national week of the plantation and wanted to mark the occasion with the organization of an event this Friday. Opening of an interactive exhibition around the tree, photo competition, small concerts, student speeches. “We stand before you to remind you of the importance of trees. The importance of their life, because their life is ours. Because without them, we cannot preserve our world. Protecting trees is essential, this is the key to our survival. Protecting trees is not only saving them but also saving us. Plant trees and cultivate yourself! “ chanted Thomas.

Tree planting sites in the towns of the agglomeration

At the origin of this week of the plantation, the president of the association 1 million of trees, the Montpellier artist Jean-Paul Wabotaï, had made the trip. Its movement, launched in 2017, has grown at the national level. He tirelessly pleads his cause with elected officials and up to the highest peak of the State: to plant trees (1 million in 2023) to fight against climate change. “We have never seen in the history of humanity young people challenge us as they are doing. What are you going to leave us? We must fight for you, continue for you, so that your children can live with dignity on a healthy planet “, he launched in front of enthusiastic high school students.

Five classes, from second to final, are involved in this process. “In January, we will participate in tree planting projects in the towns of the agglomeration. It is a concrete way of acting to preserve the environment”, explains Professor Christine Michel. Shovels and bag of soil in hand, students and teachers then went to symbolically plant liquidambars before attending a screening of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s short film Des Forêts et des hommes followed by the animated film The Man Who Planted trees by Frédéric Bach. If they have not already done so, we cannot recommend them enough to read the novel The Tree-World by Richard Powers, Pulitzer Prize in 2019. “This world is not our world with trees in it. It is a world of trees, where humans have just arrived.”