Professor Rosalea Hamilton planting a tree as part of the Caribbean Tree Planting Week initiative. Jamaica's Lasco Chin Foundation, in collaboration with the Kiwanis Club (Division 24 North) visited the JP Farm in St. Mary to plant 300 Jamaican mahogany and blue mahoe trees. Photo courtesy Hamilton, used with permission. The inaugural Caribbean Tree Planting Week took place virtually from July 5 to 11, and Jamaica-based professor Rosalea Hamilton, chair of the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance (CariPhil) and CEO of the LASCO Chin Foundation, along with her enthusiastic team, are campaigning for it to be a regular fixture in the regional calendar. The ambitious Caribbean Tree Planting Project (CTPP) has, so far, encompassed 22 territories and 347 partners since its inception. Participants planted 1,517,463 trees between February 2020 and June 2021, a remarkable feat in the context of COVID-19 restrictions. The week was packed with online events involving cultural and civil society activists, representatives from the region's Indigenous peoples as well as its diaspora, academics, conservationists, musicians, spiritual leaders and, perhaps most importantly, young people. One young Bahamian shared his love of composting; an Indigenous Surinamese woman described her people’s fight for land rights under threat of spreading deforestation; other conversations focused on everything from women’s empowerment, to mangrove restoration and even the fascinating history of the baobab tree. Professor Rosalea Hamilton. Photo courtesy Hamilton, used with permission. Via email, I interviewed Rosalea Hamilton, the co-founder of CTPP, and Trinidad-based development strategist Talya Mohammed, who moderated a lively session with Caribbean children and works with many of the young volunteers. Emma Lewis (EL): Where did the inspiration for this initiative come from? Rosalea Hamilton (RH): We started sowing the seeds of the Caribbean Tree Planting Project (CTPP) in April 2019, when a group of Caribbean philanthropists met in Jamaica at the WINGS philanthropic peer-learning event. It was here that we decided that it was important for us to collaborate regionally to more effectively achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the Caribbean. This led to the creation of The Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance, which was launched in September 2020 at the SDG Action Zone at the United Nations in New York. This happened during the aftermath of the catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane Dorian, which devastated The Bahamas. In this context, and given our shared experience with hurricanes and climate events in the Caribbean, it was easy for all of us to agree to do a project that can contribute to addressing the existential threat that climate change poses for all of us in the Caribbean. By February 2020, the CTPP started … the seeds started to take root! Development strategist Talya Mohammed. Photo courtesy Mohammed, used with permission. EL: How critical is the youth component of the project to you? Talya Mohammed (TM): The youth component of this project is extremely vital for sustainability. Essentially, the project was conceptualised by youth members […] leading to the formulation of the CTPP. The youth voiced their concern about the lack of cohesive and united climate action in the Caribbean, with [localised] efforts in each island, but not set as a regional goal. We are the heart of the project, whilst the senior members are the soul. Leading and interacting with the youth has been challenging and inspiring. Whilst they all are passionate about the cause, they are also highly involved in academic pursuits and/or entrepreneurship activities. Time management has been an early lesson of this high-paced, action-oriented project. It is phenomenal to witness the opportunities that they are all taking advantage of with globalisation and access, while still doing their part to contribute meaningfully to this project. Leading our team in Trinidad and Tobago has been a wonderful experience; encouragement and mentorship have been my role, which allows them to take the lead on ideas and implementation. Allowing them to spread their wings to make decisions and troubleshoot problems is important to develop their critical thinking, a necessary [skill] for them being able to lead projects, and take over and carry on the work. EL: What role has digital technology and social media played? RH: Digital technology has played a huge role […] keeping us all connected and in constant, easy communication. The ease in sharing documents, pictures and videos enabled us to organise events such as the CTPW very quickly and comprehensively.