Alliance Councillor Michael Long has said he hopes Belfast becomes more sustainable as a result of a successful motion to plant one million trees across the city.

Councillor Long was speaking after a Committee meeting in which the Council agreed to be the lead partnership facilitator for the One Million Trees project. It will see the trees planted in the city over the next 15 years.

“I was delighted to second the original motion when it appeared before Council in March and to also now get agreement in Committee for the Council to become the lead facilitator in the project,” said Councillor Long.

“Alliance has said time and again it is vital we don’t just talk about doing more to protect our environment but we actually carry out actions to do it. I hope the Million Trees Project is just the latest step towards making Belfast a truly sustainable city.

“The trees will not only have the benefit of making the city look better, but can also help us meet our carbon neutral aims, as well as creating a better habitat for wildlife and promoting physical and mental health benefits to local people.

“In addition to this, Alliance has worked on reducing single use plastics, becoming a zero carbon city and objecting to fossil fuel exploration in Northern Ireland. It is vital people don’t just use World Environment Day to highlight environmental issues but rather help make our natural environment more sustainable every single day.”