The Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast is calling on petrol-chemical industries and other agencies whose work pollutes the environment to show a keener interest in the tree planting exercise initiated by the government.

According to the church, the efforts being put in by governments, individuals, and institutions are aimed at reducing the emissions of such companies.

Speaking on the Green Ghana Day at the Jukwa Krobo Grotto Catholic Church, the Director of Caritas and Socio-economic Development of the Arch Diocese of Cape Coast, the Rev. Father Stephen Amoah Gyasi, said such companies need to commit resources to make the exercise thrive.

“What I am advocating is that we need to preserve and protect what we are planting." I am inviting the petro-chemical industries in Ghana, such as the GNPC, to support this initiative because we are planting the trees that would absorb the carbon they emit,” he stated.

The Rev. Amoah Gyasi says he expects them to be visibly present, providing resources that would support the program to make sure that the project continues and becomes very successful.

“We need to breathe in oxygen and it is when we plant trees that we will be able to get the oxygen and then, we are polluting the air and we need the trees to also take the carbon,” he averred.

According to the Rev. Father Stephen Amoah Gyasi, he was inspired to participate in the Green Ghana project because one of the church's teachings is to care for the earth, and planting trees is one of the ways to do so.

“Part of the social teachings of the church is to care for the earth, and one of the ways that we care for the earth is to make sure that the earth is green,” he added.

The Archdiocese, he says, planned to plant about thirty thousand trees, but the Forestry Commission in the region was unable to provide the aforementioned number of seedlings. As a result, the church was unable to meet the goal, but was able to plant and water the over 1,000 seedlings received.

He urged all the members of various parishes in the diocese to take part in this project and also cultivate the habit of tree planting on their own. He was hopeful that this initiative would not die off but would be done periodically.