Students at the Trafalgar Primary School on the tree planting day

RTL and GippsTAFE were recently involved in a tree planting day at the Trafalgar Primary School. The school's gardening group and GippsTAFE teaching staff planted 100 trees and shrubs donated by RTL on the school grounds.

GippsTAFE's horticulture students were involved in the planning stages of the project, selecting the range and quantity of plants to be used in the project.

The purpose of the tree planting day was to provide the children with a brief understanding of how climate change effects our environment and initiatives to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gases. "Tree planting is an example of greenhouse abatement, it is important for our young Australians to understand the impact of climate change and be educated on the initiatives they can personally contribute at both school and home," a spokesperson for RTL said.

"It has been great to get out in the community and share our knowledge. Hopefully the garden will provide a place for the children to play and learn for many years to come," a spokesperson for GippsTAFE said.

RTL and the Greenhouse Challenge Program

RTL owns and operates a significant fleet of heavy earthmoving equipment and performs work in each of the three major coal mines in the Latrobe Valley. RTL also has a road trucking business know as RTL Transport which specializes in over dimensional and bulk coal haulage.

RTL are members of the Greenhouse Challenge Program which is part of the Australian Government's climate change strategy. RTL have a signed agreement with the Australian Government that provides a framework for undertaking emissions inventory reporting, and the development and implementation of action plants to achieve cost effective abatement.

Climate Change

Climate change caused by greenhouse gases is one of the most serious challenges facing our community. In simple terms the earth is covered by a blanket of gases called the atmosphere that allows light energy from the sun to reach the earth's surface where it is converted to heat energy. Most of the heat is reradiated towards space but some is trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This is a natural effect, which keeps the earths temperature at levels necessary to support life. The problem is that human actions particularly burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) are generating more greenhouse gases. These additional gases trap more heat and raise the earth's surface temperature. This is called the enhanced greenhouse effect; it causes global warming and is changing our climate.

The impacts of climate change will have social, environmental and economic consequences that will affect all communities across the globe.