On 19 September, President of Latvia Levits planted the first trees of Valdemārpils Trees of Happiness Park, the first such park globally, created in support of the World Cleanup Day.
‘We have gathered today in Valdemārpils to open the first Trees of Happiness park in Latvia. Trees of Happiness park is a part of the Big Cleanup initiative. It is our contribution to the health of the planet. This sustainability movement began right here, in Latvia. And now there are more than 180 countries in the world two are following our example,’ said the President of Latvia.
‘As we plant the trees of happiness, I invite everyone to think what green and green Latvia means to us. The Big Cleanup is integral to green thinking. And green thinking has several dimensions, as well. There is the practical manifestation through, for example, cleanup initiatives. And also, the figurative meaning where green stands for being a part of nature, not trying to subdue it. This requires us as human beings to contain our desires. Men used to fight nature in the past to survive, and we came on top of it more than 100 years ago. This means that it is our moral and ethical duty to protect the nature, which is an essential element in our wellbeing, spirituality and soulfulness,’ stressed Egils Levits.
Latvia participated in the World Cleanup Day for the third year running. Latvia celebrated the World Cleanup Day by cleaning surrounding areas and traditional planting of ‘Trees of Happiness’. Campaign urges everyone to plant seeds for trees that symbolise Latvia’s contribution to restoring global ecological balance. World Cleanup Day activities in Latvia are coordinated by organizers of the Big Cleanup Day
President Levits, who is also the Patron of the Big Cleanup Day, urged other Latvian municipalities to join the initiative for planting the trees of happiness as ‘planting of trees is our way to help the planet and leave healthy environment for next generations’.