Harnessing Gamification for Sustainability

I’m always seeking ways to improve how we work together as a team whilst also focusing on the bigger picture, namely our planet! In a recent initiative, we’ve integrated Monday.com, a cloud-based work management system, with Tree-Nation, a powerful platform dedicated to reforestation. Through this collaboration, we’ve not only improved internal task tracking and productivity but also contributed to global sustainability efforts, one tree at a time.

Gamification

Gamification taps into our natural desire for competition and achievement. While we have larger carbon offsetting initiatives, integrating Tree-Nation with our Monday.com board has proven to be a powerful tool for both team engagement and environmental contribution. Launched in the spring of 2024, this initiative serves as a great incentive for ensuring that our staff utilise Monday to its full potential because, for every completed project or milestone tracked through Monday, a tree is planted via Tree-Nation.

As of September 11th, we’ve planted 139 trees across Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, contributing to global reforestation efforts. These trees will collectively capture over 5 tonnes of CO2 throughout their lifetime. While this 5-tonne figure represents what these trees will sequester over time, it’s an important reminder that small contributions, when done consistently, add up.

Understanding Carbon Syncing

Tree planting is part of a broader concept known as carbon syncing, which refers to the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through natural processes. Forests, in particular, act as carbon sinks, absorbing and storing CO2. While carbon syncing as a concept holds great promise, there’s an important caveat that is often overlooked. Contrary to what many carbon offset companies may suggest, the trees planted do not immediately absorb large amounts of carbon. Instead, they capture carbon gradually throughout their lifetimes, while emissions are being released rapidly and in real time.

This means that by the time these trees have sequestered an amount of CO2 equivalent to what we emit today, our emissions will have already been contributing to climate change for several years. While tree planting is a valuable long-term strategy in the fight against global warming, it’s important to remember that it’s not an instant solution to offset emissions.

This is a fantastic article that explains this concept in further detail: https://www.wholegraindigital.com/blog/zero-carbon-syncing/

Ecommerce and Beyond

Imagine integrating sustainability driven gamification into the Ecommerce industry. Would customers be willing to pay a little extra if it meant planting a tree with every purchase?

We believe so. This could create a new form of customer engagement, where people feel more connected to their purchase and the planet. Some businesses have started to look towards this, for example, the Dutch based Ecommerce company ‘Joolz’ have implemented a similar strategy with every purchase made on prams and buggies.

See here: https://www.joolz.com/uk/en/birthforest.html?

This is just the beginning, there’s enormous potential for businesses to adopt similar strategies and make positive environmental impacts while enhancing user engagement in meaningful ways.

Planting Seeds for the Future

While initiatives like tree planting may not offer an immediate fix to carbon emissions, they serve as a long-term investment in the future of our planet. Gamifying our task management system has encouraged our team to stay productive whilst knowing that their work contributes to something far bigger.

This initiative is just one step in a broader journey toward environmental responsibility, and we believe it can inspire other businesses, especially in Ecommerce, to follow suit. By integrating sustainability-driven incentives, we can collectively create a culture where everyday actions contribute to a healthier planet.

It’s more than just offsetting carbon, it's about planting the seeds for a more sustainable, collaborative future.