What would you say if I asked: what has supported humanity more than anything else? Science? Religion? Agriculture? How about trees?
These silent giants stand among us with an unassuming beauty that we often forget. They鈥檝e provided materials to build civilisations. They drop fruits for sustenance and even inspire scientific theories.
Although , it鈥檚 declining at a suffocating rate. An area twice the size of France has been lost since 1990. What鈥檚 more worrying is that decline is on the rise.
100 trees every 100 days
In a bid to help combat this, 17吃瓜在线 has partnered with with a mission to plant 100 trees every 100 days. Tree-Nation was founded in 2006 by Maxime Renaudin and they鈥檝e worked with thousands of businesses to reforest the world. So far, they鈥檝e managed to plant nearly 8 million trees and reforested over 4 million hectares of land. That鈥檚 an area the size of Switzerland!
We've planted 25 of these ceriops tagal, commonly known as the spurred mangrove. They offset 2kg of CO2 per year and have a natural lifespan of about 25 years.
As of 18 March 2021, 17吃瓜在线 has planted 101 trees: 100 in Madagascar, and 1 lonely little tree in Nepal. Don鈥檛 worry, the solitary tree in Nepal will be getting some friends soon. And together, they鈥檝e captured 4.3 tonnes of CO2. For context, of fuel burnt. So we plan on planting many more trees.
The Eden Project
But reforestation isn鈥檛 just about carbon capture. We contribute to the at Tree-Nation, which is looking to reverse the damage caused by the loss of mangroves and upland forests in Madagascar. Mangroves are extremely important plants. Not only to they provide a secure breeding ground for birds, fish and invertebrates, they also provide protection from waves, storms and predators.
We've planted 101 trees so far but that's already 4.3 tonnes of CO2 and reforested 300 square metres of land.
So far, the Eden Project has planted over 407 million mangrove and dry deciduous trees in northwest Madagascar. It鈥檚 fascinating reading and understanding and the different planting methods they use to ensure maximum success.
Deforestation has all kind of negative effects from reduced biodiversity to increased global warming. Breaking down any one part of an ecosystem has a domino effect on all other constituent parts. It鈥檚 one of the reasons why plants and due to their pivotal position in the food chain and ecological processes.
We plan to donate and work with Tree-Nation for a long time as we try to offset the greenhouse gases we produce as a business and to help reforest the world. In the words of Bob Ross, we love a happy little tree. But instead of painting them, let鈥檚 plant them.