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Forests are often called the lungs of the Earth because they produce the oxygen that makes life on our planet possible. But that’s not the only good thing that trees do.

Trees provide benefits to living things all over the world – from the food and homes they provide for animals to the wood they supply for our houses, from the seasons they mark to the cooling shade they cast on our streets and playgrounds, trees and the good things they give us are all around.

Another great thing that trees do is help combat climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide in their trunks and keeping it there even when the wood is use to create the things like homes, wooden floors, desks and park benches.

The Life is Better With Trees Schools Competition is an initiative of Planet Ark as part of National Tree Day. It aims to encourage primary and high school students to learn about the benefits of trees and tap into their creativity to demonstrate what they’ve learnt.

Competition Scenario

“Friendly Alien Needs Tree Tutor” 2011 is the International Year of the Forest on planet Earth and news of this celebration has spread to the outer parts of our galaxy. On a far-away planet, a young alien named Andy has heard the news and wants to know what all the fuss is about. Andy is from a planet where there are no trees, so he doesn’t know about all the amazing things trees provide.

This is where you come in. Andy wants someone to teach him about trees – he needs a Tree Tutor!

Stage 1 – Kindergarten to Year 2 AND Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4

Create a poster illustrating all the good things that trees provide. Remember, Andy lives on a far-away planet so you’ll need to create something that can be mailed to him, no larger than an A3 poster.

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6

Explain to Andy in an electronic format all the good things that trees provide. Because Andy lives in another galaxy, you’ll need to create something that he can view via the intergalactic internet, like a video, an animation, a digital story or a multimedia production. Remember, this is Andy’s first lesson on trees so keep it short, no longer than 5 minutes.

Stage 4/5 – Years 7 to 10

Explain to Andy in an electronic format, such as a video, an animation, a digital story or a multimedia production, the range of good things that trees provide, including their role in the carbon cycle and how they help combat climate change. Entries must be no shorter than 1 minute and no longer than 7 minutes in length.

Prizes

A total of $5000 in prize money has been donated by Planet Ark’s Make It Wood – Do Your World Some Good campaign, which promotes the use of sustainably sourced wood as a solution to climate change.

• The Winning Entry from each stage wins $700 for their school (4 in total)
• The Runner Up Entry from each stage wins $400 for their school (4 in total)
• The Highly Commended Entry from each stage wins $150 (4 in total).

Find out more

To find out more about the competition, including how to enter and the judging criteria, visit Planet Ark Tree Day or call the National Tree Day Hotline on 1300 885 000.

Entries must be submitted by 5pm Friday 4th November 2011.