Holiday trees for the planet

We believe that all our friends and partners want for the holidays is… a happy planet. That’s why? we’re gifting our suppliers and collaborators with trees – with a twist. We’re teaming up with EcoMatcher to plant 3,000 trees in the Ecuadorian Amazon, to help reduce carbon emissions and deforestation, and help combat the climate crisis.?

As you’ve probably heard, the situation is serious. Between 2001 and 2020, more than 54.2 million hectares of the Amazon forest were destroyed, almost 9% of its forests. (This is according to the most recent report from RAISG – the Amazon Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information).

That’s roughly the size of France! What’s worse is that according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this area is home to 30% of the planet's biodiversity.

In Ecuador, some 97% of the forests in the western part of the country have been destroyed. The government is working to reduce emissions between 20% and 25% by 2030, so we thought we’d help out – as we’re active in the country – by helping to restore these forests.?

Also in Ecuador, EcoMatcher works with PROAmazonía (a program of the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, created with support from the United Nations), to restore 15,000 hectares of forest in priority areas of the National Reforestation Program.

The project also works to strengthen people’s knowledge and skills in this field, and benefits the local communities and farmers who plant and care for the trees. The trees include species of avocado, cocoa and coffee (so, not your average Holiday tree, but definitely trees that bear gifts!). And, through EcoMatcher’s website, each person gifted a tree can track its growth and engage with local farmers ensuring its survival through its crucial first two years.

This isn’t the first time we’re partnering with EcoMatcher to plant trees; last year we did this in Indonesia. So far, both projects have achieved biosequestration, (meaning the carbon dioxide absorbed by natural ecosystems) of an estimated 34 tons of carbon. So you and I can breathe a little easier this festive season.

Filling the planet with trees - that’s our recipe for joyful holidays and happy new year - for many years to come.