A Rotarian who is playing a key role in the planting of 100 trees across the island this year was honoured by the Hamilton Rotary Club for his environmental stewardship.

George Cook, a director of the Hamilton Rotary Club, was recognised for his contributions to the environment, including the planting of endemic trees to coincide with the 101st anniversary of the club.

The club recently celebrated the milestone with the planting of the first six trees at the High Point Nature Reserve on Alton Hill in Southampton.

Dr Cook was honoured at a special event on Tuesday at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club.

The project was undertaken by the Rotary club in collaboration with the Bermuda National Trust.

Dr Cook was centrally involved in the exercise and told The Royal Gazette that he believed in a quote by British scholar and author Thomas Fuller: “He that plants tress, loves others besides himself.”

A historian by profession, Dr Cook said the quote was a perfect statement, which people should keep in mind, especially Rotarians.

He has been a Rotarian for 47 years and said his spirit of being a steward of the environment “comes from within”.

He always felt at home with the organisation and noted that throughout his life, it had played an important role in his view of the world.

Dr Cook studied at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, and later earned a PhD in history from the University of Oxford in England.

He joined Bermuda College in 1975 and was president from 1992 until he retired in 2001. More recently his focus has been on preservation of the environment.

Myles Darrell, the BNT’s head of natural heritage, and Noelle Young, a climate activist and president-elect of Hamilton Rotary, were also honoured at the club’s event on Tuesday.

Mr Darrell and Ms Young were presented with the Paul Harris Award for continuing hard work and environmental stewardship.