The goal is to plant 200,000 new trees and make eight locations throughout Serbia greener.
Belgrade, 29th September 2023 – Friday marked the official start of the fifth cycle of the Plant a Tree project, launched by Adria Media Group (which has since been integrated into the WMG Company) and dm drogerie markt. In the next seven months, a total of 200,000 new trees will be planted and eight locations in various Serbia cities will become greener thanks to the extraordinarily fruitful year. In the upcoming cycle, the focus will be on collecting the required seeds. The slogan of this fifth cycle is PLANT A TREE - CHANGE YOUR AWARENESS which illustrates the project’s primary goal - to change people’s consciousness and habits.
Representatives of the companies that launched the Plant a Tree project spoke at the event in the Ušće Park - Irena Petrović, Corporate Communications and Sustainability Manager at WMG and Svetlana Jovanović Mitić, Marketing and Communications Manager for Serbia and North Macedonia at dm. The fifth cycle was officially opened by the project ambassadors, actress Anđela Jovanović and athlete Mihail Dudaš, and on the occasion, certificates of appreciation were presented to individuals who contributed to the implementation of the largest mass tree planting project Plant a Tree in previous seasons. After the official segment, the guests enjoyed the performance of the string quartet and cocktails, while Žirko, the Plant a Tree mascot attracted a lot of attention.
Irena Petrović, Corporate Communications and Sustainability Manager at the WMG Company, presented the recently formed company and underlined that the company’s new slogan "Leaders in Transformation" is in line with the goals of the Plant a Tree" project. "Sustainability not only remains an important topic but is also determined as a priority in all aspects of WMG's business. This is also confirmed by my new position in the company, which has sustainability incorporated into its name because, in the future, we will devote ourselves even more seriously to activities that have a positive impact on the community and the planet," Petrović said and added that the Plant a Tree project is much more than the number of new trees planted or a number of new locations that will become greener. "The messages we send are very important. The cooperation of partners gathered around a common goal is of special importance here as is the involvement of educational institutions because education is a prerequisite for the changes we want to see happening. We are especially proud of our employees and many volunteers who are our most important promoters because they make a personal contribution to our greener and healthier future," Irena Petrović concluded.
Svetlana Jovanović Mitić, Marketing and Communications Manager for Serbia and North Macedonia at dm, said the following: "We are pleased and proud to mark the beginning of the fifth season of the Plant a Tree project, the largest afforestation campaign in Serbia. After achieving great results and breaking records last year, our goal is to plant 200,000 new trees this season and thus get closer to the number of a million planted trees. Our mission since the very start of this campaign has been making our environment greener, but also raising awareness of environmental responsibility, which is why we will continue to devote ourselves to educating people, especially the youngest ones. In partnership with WMG, as well as in cooperation with institutional partners, we amplify joint efforts towards initiating positive changes in the world in which we live. We would like to invite everyone to join our growing ecological family, in order to build a healthier, more sustainable future for the planet and all future generations together," said Jovanović Mitić.
As a reminder, during the four cycles of the Plant a Tree project, thanks to partners and volunteers, over 600,000 new trees were planted in 350 locations throughout Serbia.
In parallel with the planting campaigns, there have been numerous other activities to promote environmental responsibility to create a sustainable future with children in strong focus. For the past two years, new trees were planted at 1,215 elementary schools in Serbia, numerous educational workshops and competitions were held and two murals were donated - one to a Belgrade and one to a Čačak school.
The tree planting campaign was initiated by Adria Media Group (which has since been integrated into the WMG Company) and dm drogerie markt, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management - Forest Management, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, public enterprise Srbijašume, public enterprise Vojvodinašume, Mountaineering Movement of Serbia, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Jevremovac Botanical Garden, University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Biology, Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade, Forestry School from Kraljevo, Institute for Nature Protection, Vojvodinian Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection and Institute of Forestry. Public enterprise Zelenilo Beograd has joined the Plant a Tree project this year.
