Arborist Trees Shrubs Plants

Rory J. Koopmans, B. Admin., #203, 8912-156 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5R 5Z2

February XXVIIIth, MMX

Hon. David G. Hancock, QC, MLA, Minister of Education, Progressive Conservative, Edmonton-Whitemud

Dear David:

I know what might add to the marketability of older schools, as well as some of the newer, clean line schools. We need to have an increase of plants and trees in schoolyards. There seems to be a trend in schools to have just flat, boring grass surfaces. This not only makes sense economically David, but it makes sense for people's overall health.

Kids in fact all humans need trees to breathe & trees need our CO2 in return. So it would be a low cost, mutually beneficial relationship. Kids could then be taught gardening & perhaps take part in planting the trees and shrubs themselves. I mean why not do this David. It just makes sense. There are after all High School courses in Forestry & Agriculture. So why not make this tree planting & maintenance a component of these courses?

Some older schools have no trees at all. This doesn't fit in with the older, tree lined gothic styles of their surrounding neighbourhoods. If you put trees up in school yards, parents will want to move into older homes. You then revitalize these communities & bring up capacity, as a result, less schools will need to be closed overall because their will be an increased inner city property tax base.

Congratulations Team Canada On Winning The Gold Medal Count,

Rory

Source: The Manitoba Gardner.