United Nations Billion Tree Campaign - Partners

Partners

The Green Earth Appeal

The UK based Not For Profit Organisation works with businesses who want to demonstrate their Corporate Social Responsibility and offset the carbon footprint of their products/services, through the planting of trees. The Green Earth Appeal Operates initiatives such as Carbon Free Dining and Food For Thoughts, both within the hospitality sectors. Participating venues include The Playboy Club London, Celebrity Chefs James Martin (chef) Leeds Kitchen Restaurant and Marco Pierre Whites Nottingham Bar and Grill all of which plant a single tree for each bill presented to diners. The Green Earth Appeal work with a network of Non Government Organisations and Charities across the Developing world to provide education and fruit trees to some of the world’s poorest communities.

Support from the corporate world

Toyota Monaco, the campaign’s inaugural partner, together with the Prince Albert II of Monaco’s Foundation, planted 21 trees for every hybrid vehicle sold in 2007. Since then, nearly 1,000 private sector companies — from large multinationals to small scale enterprises — have been planting trees under the umbrella of the Billion Tree Campaign. AAR, Bayer, Citi, Coca Cola (East and Central Africa and South Latin Business Unit), Malaco in Scandinavia, Tesco Thailand and the Toyota Fund for Europe all undertook proactive tree-planting initiatives. Business and corporations have continued to lend support to the campaign through a wide variety of tree-planting programmes.

Principal Strategic Corporate Partner LG Display

“Better World” is the title LG Display gives to its environmental initiatives, which the company also believes improve its economic viability. An innovator in technology, LG Display joined the Billion Tree Campaign to contribute to protecting the environment through tree-planting. Through this partnership, LG Display hopes to convey a message to all stakeholders on environmental degradation concerns, and how we can be part of the sustainability solution. “LGD is greatly honoured and is truly lucky to be fulfilling our corporate social responsibility by participating in tree-planting in India, where afforestation is needed,” says Mr. Hyunhwoi Ha, Executive Vice President of LG Display. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with UNEP to green the world and we hope to keep supporting future meaningful activities.”

“Preserving biodiversity means preserving humankind and its future.” Jacques Rocher, Honorary President, Yves Rocher Foundation. The Yves Rocher company, through its Foundation, has supported the Billion Tree Campaign since 2007 when Jacques Rocher met the late Professor Wangari Maathai in Nairobi. The Foundation allocates funds to organizations specialised in reforestation. The initiative was given new impetus in 2010, when Jacques Rocher committed the Foundation to planting 50 million trees by the end of 2015. Today, the Foundation supports 19 tree-planting NGOs in 18 countries around the world. For its 20th anniversary, the Foundation has taken a step further by launching the “Planting Tribe”, an international mobilisation campaign, a human chain in defense of reforestation. Kenya Commercial Bank, with branches in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Tanzania, has set a target of planting one million indigenous trees in 113 sites each year. Oasi Zegna, an environmental project in Italy launched by the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, celebrated the 2010 International Day for Biological Diversity by planting trees with students and families in Trivero.

Avon Products Inc. launched its “Hello Green Tomorrow” – a globally coordinated grassroots effort that will see the planting of one million trees in the Atlantic Rain Forest in South America. Meanwhile, through its Earth Guest Project, the Accor Group plants trees when guests in 1,000 hotels reuse their towels. The savings on laundry have facilitated the creation of seven reforestation projects with tree-planting organisations.

Far Far Away Books

Far Far Away Books’ line of children’s publications aims to develop children’s environmental awareness. The books are printed on recycled paper and for each one sold, a tree is planted in Brazil, Portugal, the UK or the USA, empowering children to know that they can make a difference.

Orlean Invest West Africa, Nigeria

Inspired by the Billion Tree Campaign, Orlean Invest West Africa has, for the past two years, invited the physically challenged children of the Compassion Centre in Port Harcourt to join its staff and volunteers in tree-planting events to encourage participation towards a common goal.

Green Jobs

In Africa, Kinomé movement, in collaboration with the Mozdahir Development NGO, has registered over 300,000 trees planted with communities in Senegal. Kinomé also aims to reduce pressure on existing forest and avoid deforestation by developing income generating activities, capital access via mutual investment funds and micro credit, as well as the transfer of forest ownership to villages.

Pircher Oberland and Cogeme

In 2011, Pircher Oberland supported the planting of native trees in the Municipality of Rolo in Italy — home to its logistics centre. The trees which include ash, oak, field maple and hazelnut, will help in the rehabilitation of an area of open ground where the municipality is creating a new park for the public. Cogeme, also in Italy, has been planting trees to recover a landfill dump in Castrezzato- Trenzano, Brescia, in the northern belt of the Po plain. Over 20,000 trees and shrubs have been planted, bringing back many species and reviving biodiversity.

Grow Trees

In India, Grow Trees gives individuals the opportunity to plant trees to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, festivals or special occasions. Indigenous trees are planted in several projects including in two tiger reserves. The trees are planted on government and community land with the objective of benefiting rural communities (through fruit, fuel and fodder), encouraging wildlife, improving water catchments, preventing soil erosion and reversing deforestation.

Plant my Phone

Mokugift launched “Plant my Phone” which enables people to mail their old cell phones to get refurbished or recycled with the financial proceeds going towards agroforestry projects. The programme not only provides an opportunity to plant trees, but also to reduce toxins from cell phones that would otherwise end up in landfills. Mokugift’s goal is to recycle one million phones and plant an average of 15 trees per phone.

'Private individuals, schools and communities – A gift to Humanity'

The Billion Tree Campaign received support from all sectors of society – individuals, children and youth groups, schools, community groups, non-governmental organisations, farmers, private sector organisations, local authorities, and national governments – who have planted trees for the innumerable benefits derived from them.

Trees for climate

Trees purify the atmosphere by absorbing pollutants including nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and particulate matter. In addition to improving air quality, trees absorb carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

Green Belt Movement’s approach to climate change

The Green Belt Movement (GBM) has over 30 years experience in rehabilitating degraded lands in Kenya through tree planting and supporting smallholder farmers to increase yields and sustainability. The organisation works with its network of over 4,000 community groups across Kenya to respond to environmental problems and improve people’s lives. The GBM engagement approach empowers rural poor people to plant trees which soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere mitigating the effects of climate change and creating buffers and resilient systems to cope with climate change.

Born Green

For the fourth consecutive year, the City Hall of Monaco with the support of the Town Hall of Cap d’Ail and National Office for Forests in Southern France, planted one tree for each registered birth in the Principality. The programme is part of the municipality’s commitment to sustainable development for environmental conservation and future generations.

Stop Talking, Start Planting!

In Germany, 14-year old Felix Finkbeiner of the Plant-for-the-Planet students’ initiative launched “Stop talking, Start planting”: an initiative to mobilise children to plant a million trees in each country of the world. The campaign is now a global children’s initiative through which children empower other children through Plant-for-the-Planet Academies. While the adults keep on talking, the children say: “Stop talking, Start planting!” The children have been campaigning tirelessly to push for further action on climate change. They are also taking action themselves by planting trees. The initiative has recruited children from over 100 countries. In 2011 the Billion Tree Campaign was handed over from UNEP to the young generation, represented by the Plant-for-the-Planet Initiative.(see below) At the opening at the UN Year of Forests, Felix proposed a new initiative with the goal of planting a trillion trees (Trillion Tree Campaign) - about 150 trees per global inhabitant. This proposal is part of the children's 3 Point Plan to Save Our Future.

Reducing global warming

The people of Kerala State in India have planted over 17 million trees under a tree-planting initiative titled “Global warming. Trees are the answer”. Under the state-wide afforestation programme, trees are planted through various schemes that target different groups in the society including schools.

Trees for healing

Nearly 80% of the world’s population uses plants for healing purposes. Tree species such as Azadirachta indica (neem), Abies balsamea (balsam fir), Cinchona pubescens (quinine), Ulmus rubra (slippery elm), Ginkgo biloba (maidenhair) and hundreds more provide ingredients for medicines.

Green Ambulance In India, students of Environmental Sciences at A.P.S. University in Madhya Pradesh launched the ‘Green Ambulance’ initiative. Through this programme, trees that are rare, vulnerable or have medicinal importance, are selected for planting at various educational institutions, office campuses and private plots. Doctors of the Indian Medical Association have planted trees in communities and hospital grounds. One of the species selected by the medics is the neem tree which is believed to have medicinal and curative properties.

Trees for water

Trees play an important role in the water cycle by extracting ground water through roots and releasing it into the atmosphere creating a wetter climate. When an area has no trees, there is reduced water content in the soil and atmosphere.

Recovery of the Circuit of Four Lakes

In Peru, the NGO Yachay Wasi is working on a tree-planting and water and sanitation project dubbed “Recovery of the Circuit of Four Lakes”. Local biologists recommended the planting of high-altitude native trees on banks of the four lakes and around villages in the provinces of Acomayo and Canas in the Andes.

Trees for food

Forests serve as a source of food for many communities. Wild fruits and berries, meat and honey can all be obtained from forests. In Kenya, the Youth Building Green Programme has focused on planting fruit trees with environmental clubs in schools around Nairobi.

Trees for sustainable development

Many communities depend on forests for subsistence and income. In fact, forests are considered a critical link in the transition to a green economy – one that promotes sustainable development and poverty eradication.

A Billion Trees for a Billion People

In India, the All Human Integrated Meritorious Social Awareness project (AHIMSA) launched a tree-planting programme in June 2011 with the objective of planting 65 million trees – one for each inhabitant of Tamil Nadu. The programme aims to green India, address the issue of global warming and at the same time create employment opportunities in the community. Greening communities In the USA, the organisation Keep America Beautiful is planning to increase its tree-planting efforts by 5% each year. Meanwhile in Belgium, October 2011 saw the planting of the millionth tree by the Organisation for Forests in Flanders. The trees are planted in partnership with grassroots organisations, private sector companies and private land owners under the One Million trees for Flanders campaign.

Trees for habitats

Forests are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity, providing habitats for flora and fauna while hosting a wide variety of genetic resources. Conserving ecosystems

The Ndura Agricultural Development Agency in Kenya works to conserve the Tana River Basin ecosystem, a region high in biodiversity, through planting trees and teaching good farming practices. The Tana River Delta is considered to be one of the most important wetlands in Africa, supporting several bird species, fish, amphibians, primates and other animals. Ecological restoration

The society for Ecological Restoration is dedicated to promoting the ecological balance and recovering damaged ecosystems in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. The organisation has a goal of planting a million trees over a period of ten years. In Kenya, the Kadhune Friends of the Earth Environmental Preservation and Care organisation has been planting trees with great enthusiasm across three provinces. The organisation works through a network of community groups at the grassroots level.

Trees fight deserts

Desertification is a major economic, social and environmental problem in many countries. Forests and tree cover help to alleviate land degradation and desertification by stabilising soils, reducing water and wind erosion and maintaining nutrient in soils.

Greening the desert

The Emirates Environmental Group has planted over two million trees in the United Arab Emirates. The organisation’s objective is to motivate NGOs and government departments to include greening policies in their agendas. So far several groups have responded to the call and have launched tree-planting campaigns across the country.

Green Day

The Students’ Challenge programme brings together students mainly from France to rally around environmental issues. Through the Green Day initiative students travel to Morocco where they plant date palms in an effort to revive agriculture and fight desertification.

Trees for soils

Rain water is intercepted on leaves, branches and trunks of trees, slowing down surface runoff, and thus ameliorating soil erosion and flash flooding.

Protecting soils

In Indonesia, the Ordo Fransiskan Sekuler Fraternity of Pandan – Sibolga is planting trees along the Sibuluan River bank to minimise landslides and soil erosion during heavy rains. The organisation involves students from local schools in its activities to sensitise them on environmental issues and instill in them love for the environment. In East Africa, farmers from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda working under the SCC-Vi Agroforestry project have planted millions of trees and more than three million metres of hedgerow around the Lake Victoria Basin.