Edmonds United Methodist Church celebrated Earth Sunday on April 24 by giving away live trees to children.

Addressing the climate crisis by reducing individual and organizational carbon footprints has been a major emphasis of Earth Day at the church for several years. This year, Edmonds United Methodist collaborated with the Snohomish Conservation District, which donated trees and staff time to the project.

Trees were selected because they sequester huge amounts of carbon, thus providing an excellent way to reduce individual or organizational footprints, organizer Gayla Shoemake said.

Each child received a small tree during the service, along with instructions for planting it in their own yard, or that of a neighbor, and caring for it. Each additional church family was asked to plant one tree or to donate to an organization that plants trees, as way to support the children in their tree projects.

Additional information about trees and organizations that plant trees locally and worldwide was available as part of the event. Remaining trees were offered to other families at the end of the service.