One of our partnerships at EarthHero is with Eden Reforestation Project. As one of the lead changemakers in the reforestation effort, we wanted to share with you all they do! So, who is Eden Reforestation Projects, and how are they making a positive impact? Read on to learn more about this world-changing non-profit, and how they help your shopping go the extra mile!
Who is Eden Reforestation Projects?
Deforestation has become a global problem, caused by a variety of factors including large-scale slash-and-burn practices, unsustainable agriculture, and more. Regions most impacted by deforestation are often undeveloped areas where there are a limited number of options for work. Consequently, families are often forced to further destroy their forests to survive, cutting down trees for construction or fuel. This further contributes to deforestation in the area, creating long-term impacts like erosion, desertification, and severe flooding.
To help solve this problem, Eden Reforestation Projects utilizes an “Employ to Plant” methodology that benefits communities while reforesting land.
Reforestation must benefit the local population, or else it cannot be successful in the long term. The “Employ to Plant” concept gives members of these communities steady employment, provides food stability and offers safe shelter. Consequently, this decreases extreme poverty and allows local economies to grow and flourish – economically, socially, and environmentally.
The process is simple. Principally, Eden Reforestation Projects partners with villages that are dedicated to forest restoration. Following, they hire and train local villagers to plant new native trees. Moreover, the villages are then tasked with protecting these forests. And it works too! Eden Reforestation Projects report an 80% seedling survival rate!
Impact
To date*, Eden Reforestation Projects has planted 697,851,612 trees at 235 project sites across 8 countries, creating 6,978,526 workdays for their teams. Regions with planting sites in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Nepal, Haiti, Indonesia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Central America have all seen a positive social and environmental impact from these forests. Eden Reforestation Projects’ goal is to plant ONE TRILLION TREES – and in doing so, give employment to tens of thousands of people living in poverty.
Eden Projects has quickly become the largest tree-planting organization globally, although they’ve only been around since 2005. They’ve done this through their holistic approach: addressing poverty, providing stable employment, and empowering local communities.
EarthHero & Eden Reforestation Projects
Eden Reforestation Projects’ mission is inspiring, and we want to bring their impact to the EarthHero community. During the 2020 holiday season, with your support, EarthHero planted 65,000 trees through Eden Reforestation Projects – and during the 2021 holiday season, we were able to plant 45,000 more trees! This helped us get to Sapling status which we're incredibly proud of. These trees not only benefited the communities in which they were planted but also supported global reforestation efforts. With your continued support, we can plant a whole forest of trees – and aid the communities that support these forests!
Stay up-to-date with how many trees we've planted by checking out our donor portal on Eden Reforestation Project's website!
