Giving of your time, expertise and money to a worthy cause can make you feel good.
One Canberra business, timber recycler and furniture maker, Thor’s Hammer, recently donated a 2.4 metre bench of recycled turpentine and 300 plants to the Cole St, Downer micro-forest.
After the bushfires of 2019-20, owner Thor Diesendorf decided to contribute 10% of profits to three Canberra groups doing environmental good – Firesticks, an indigenous led corporation focused on cultural burning practices, Greening Australia and The Climate Factory were the beneficiaries.
The Climate Factory is a social enterprise, founded in 2019 by Landscape Architect, Edwina Robinson after Australia experienced its hottest summer on record. Her vision is to rehydrate the landscape, build great soils and plant densely with climate ready plants.
Thor says planting trees is a great way to help the environment. His favourite tree as a child was a deciduous Chinese Elm, Ulmus parvifolia, in his backyard. Thor says he spent a lot of time climbing that tree and still has a soft spot for the species.
Community involvement is key to the success of the Downer micro-forest with local residents forming a carer group in 2019 and turning up in droves at working bees to plant, mulch and make tree guards. Diesendorf’s team nestled the timber bench amongst newly planted She-Oaks at the micro-forest.
To date The Climate Factory has led three working bees at the micro-forest with the last working bee sponsored by Thor’s Hammer. 1300 plants have gone in the ground with the final working bee scheduled for Autumn 2021.
26 November 20
