Green Addis Ababa to Plant More Than One Million Seedlings in Ethiopia’s Historic One-Day Green Legacy Campaign

Addis Ababa is preparing a sweeping day of climate action: on August 3, the capital plans to put more than one million young trees in the ground as part of Ethiopia’s nationwide One-Day National Tree Planting Campaign, a flagship moment of the country’s Green Legacy Initiative. City officials say sites have been mapped, seedlings are ready, and logistics are in place to turn citizen enthusiasm into lasting urban canopy—an effort rallying residents under the banner “Let’s Plant Hope.”

A citywide mobilization for cleaner air and cooler streets

The Green Addis Ababa initiative, which underpins the capital’s participation, places urban greenery at the heart of city-building. By expanding parks, street trees, and ecological corridors, the program aims to reduce heat stress, capture stormwater, filter air pollutants, and create shaded, accessible public spaces. With planting areas identified across neighborhoods and public institutions, this one-day push is designed to advance long-term goals: a healthier, more livable city that can better withstand climate shocks.

Residents are being encouraged to show up in large numbers. The message is simple: each seedling in the soil is a small act of adaptation and repair. Tree planting cuts across social lines—students, civil servants, business owners, and community groups can all contribute. The more hands involved, the more diverse the planting effort and the greater the chance that newly greened spaces will be valued and protected.

Part of a national restoration drive

Launched in 2019, Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative has become a hallmark of citizen-led climate and land restoration. The country reports more than 48 billion seedlings planted since inception, with a 2026 target of 8.5 billion additional seedlings. Of these, an estimated 800 million are slated to be planted during the August 3 campaign alone—an immense, coordinated effort spanning regions and communities with the aim of reaching roughly 56 billion seedlings planted since 2019.

Looking ahead, Ethiopia’s goal is to push the cumulative total to 65 billion by the end of the 2027 Green Legacy campaign. That milestone is timed to bolster the nation’s climate and restoration profile ahead of hosting COP32, where Ethiopia intends to spotlight progress on reforestation, landscape recovery, and resilience-building.

Why trees—and why now

For cities like Addis Ababa, trees are one of the fastest, most affordable tools to address intersecting environmental risks:

• Cooling and health: Urban tree cover can lower neighborhood temperatures, reducing heat-related illness during hotter, longer dry seasons.
• Stormwater management: Healthy soils and root systems help absorb intense rainfall, which can otherwise overwhelm drains and fuel erosion.
• Air quality and livability: Leafy streets trap particulates, buffer noise, and improve walkability, while parks provide crucial recreation and biodiversity refuges.
• Carbon and resilience: Trees store carbon over decades; at scale, they complement clean energy and efficiency measures central to national climate strategies.

From planting day to thriving canopy

Getting seedlings into the ground is the first step; keeping them alive is the measure that matters. City coordinators are emphasizing basic practices that dramatically improve survival rates: correct planting depth, initial watering, light mulching to retain moisture, and protection from trampling or grazing. Community stewardship—neighbors checking on young trees, student groups adopting planting sites—can transform a one-day event into a durable green legacy.

Residents planning to participate can maximize impact by:

• Following site guidance from coordinators to ensure appropriate species placement and spacing.
• Bringing refillable water bottles, sun protection, and gloves to stay safe and productive.
• Returning to planting sites in the weeks that follow to help water and monitor seedlings, especially during dry spells.

Planting hope, building resilience

As Addis Ababa joins the nationwide effort, the city’s push for more than one million seedlings is about more than numbers. It is a commitment to cooler neighborhoods, cleaner air, and neighborhoods stitched together by green corridors and public parks. The Green Legacy Initiative has shown how collective action can restore degraded landscapes at extraordinary scale. This weekend’s mobilization offers a vivid reminder: when thousands of people plant side by side, the climate challenge feels less abstract—and a greener, more resilient capital becomes easier to imagine and to build.