This is a perfect compliment to our eco friendly chalk (made from seawater). For EVERY product we sell we plant a tree, regardless of the size of order buy 200 bag of chalk we plant 200 trees.
A few questions we get asked:
What's stopping someone from cutting down the newly planted tree?
This is an obviously important question that needs a good answer. We sent this question to one of our main tree planting partners, and this is their reply:
- We work carefully with all levels of government to secure written agreements designating the restoration sites as protected in perpetuity.
- We hire local villagers to plant the trees. In this way, we alleviate extreme poverty within the impacted community. The villagers now have an economic incentive to ensure the wellbeing of the restoration project. They also have a sense of “ownership” over the trees and restored forest and they protect it with great care.
- A minimum of 10% of the trees to be planted are agroforestry species (fruit, fodder and construction species designed to provide food security and benefit legitimate human needs). Over time these trees become a source of sustainable income.
- We do all possible to supply the local villagers with alternative fuel sources (fuel efficient dry wood stoves and solar parabolic stoves), which reduces and or eliminates their dependence on charcoal.
- We also hire forest guards as part of the labor force. Forest guards are part of the overall budget.
- Most significantly, we have seen the villagers fall in love with THEIR forest. They also recognize and benefit from the restored forest through increase in fisheries, improved farming, cleaner water and the formation of micro enterprises.
Within all of our tree-planting partnerships, we ensure that the same is true across the board – we will not partner with organisations who do not work to secure the longevity and safety of the trees our community is paying to put in the ground.
Are the trees being planted varied and native species?
Yes. Monoculture forests and non-native species do not fall under the category of responsible reforestation.
As one example, at one of the planting sites in Madagascar, they're planting over 50 different species, including:
- Avicinia marina
- Rhizophora mucronata
- Ceriops tagal
- Bruguiera gymnoohiza
How much carbon does a tree sequester?
Trees are one of the best tools we have in removing carbon pollution from our atmosphere. All of the trees funded by our community will quietly remove carbon from the atmosphere over their lifetimes.
Based on scientific research of mangrove forests, we know that a hectare of mangroves can sequester 3,082 tonnes of CO2 over a 25 year life time. Or 308KG per tree.
Can this stop climate change?
There are billions of concerned people on this planet who care, but don’t know how to make a meaningful contribution. If we can get the right platform that allows us to make the impact we want to, and continue the process of carbon awareness then there’s an amazing opportunity.
The underlying projects you’ll be supporting (like reforestation, renewables, efficient cooking stoves) are all ranked highly in terms of climate change solutions.