Protecting our Forests??

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

– Nelson Henderson

Why do Forests Matter?

1. Much of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity lives in forests, including 80% of amphibians, 75% of birds and 68% of mammals.
2. Forests are the largest storehouses of carbon after the oceans.
3. Forests help prevent erosion and enrich and conserve soil.
4. Forests can help protect people and nature from the consequences of a warming world.
5. Time spent in forests has been shown to have a positive benefit on human health.

Source: WWF

Agriculture - a major driver of forestry loss

Every year, huge swathes of forests are cut down or burned- 95% of this loss of forests occurs in the tropics and half of all deforestation occurs in Brazil and Indonesia. Three quarters of this deforestation is attributable to agriculture. (Source: Our World in Data )

Remarkably beef, soy, and palm oil products alone are responsible for 60% of the deforestation occurring in tropical regions. The transition of forest lands into agricultural land, particularly for cattle pastures, for soy bean crops, and the harvesting of palm oils are causing the loss of forests.

The majority of soybean production is not for human food consumption but is used as livestock feed or for biofuels, with only 6% directly consumed by humans. Source: Our World in Data .

The move towards Plant-based Eating

This underscores the opportunity that shifting towards more plant-based eating can have on the planets dwindling forests. Especially relevant in countries that source their beef or cattle or even soy based feeds from countries such as Brazil.

Green Fridays: Tree Planting Initiatives

The Green Fridays team helps schools and communities plant more trees and native plants that are good for students and wildlife. Here are some photos of trees planted at Wesley College Dublin, Dromiskin National School, Drumcondra National school and adjacent to Louth GAA grounds.

If your school would like to get involved in planting trees or if you have any questions, just shoot us an email at [email protected]. We're always excited to welcome new supporters.

Green Fridays - Trees and pollinator friendly plants for schools

The team at Green Fridays is planning to plant up and green a school in an inner city suburb of Dublin. If you or your organisation is interested in sponsoring the planting and greening of a currently tree-less and plant-less school play area, please get in touch at [email protected].

What to Watch

• TED Conferences : What can save the rainforest? Your used cell phone. Engineer Topher White shares a simple, scalable way to stop deforestation — that starts with your old cell phone.
• Britannica Education : Interesting snippet about how Brazil incentivises cutting down forests.

What to Read

• WWF : Save the Cerrado - Our Climate depends on it

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

The Green Fridays Team

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