Photographing environmental issues for a sustainable future.
Posts Tagged ‘tree planting’
Earthkeeping in India
Rita Kodkani is a member of the Timberland team in India, as well as one of our company’s Global Stewards — a group of passionate individuals who volunteer, above and beyond their regular work duties, to engage and empower fellow employees to take part in community service initiatives worldwide.
A few months back, Rita took a much-deserved vacation … and spent it in her home region of Bundelkhand in central India, leading a tree-planting project. Over the course of several days, Rita worked with a local NGO and community volunteers to plant more than 100 trees in village and farm areas alike — and also spent time educating community members on energy conservation, forestation and climate change.
Talk about making the most of your vacation.
Our sincere thanks to Rita for sharing her story and the following photos from her tree-planting experience … and for providing leadership and inspiration to other Earthkeepers across the globe.
More Trees in China
As part of yesterday’s announcement about China’s commitment to decreasing its carbon emissions, Chinese president Hu Jintao pledged that his country would plant forests across an area the size of Norway . Whether you’re among the critics who don’t believe China’s commitment was specific enough, or among supporters who consider it a positive first step, you’ve got to admit – that’s a lot of trees.
As a company with a penchant for tree-planting (although we have yet to take on any projects of Norway proportions), we’re encouraged to see reforestation at the top of China’s environmental task list. Rapid population growth and over-use of land has contributed to the issue of desertification all over the world — including in China, where traveling dust storms create widespread air quality problems and natural resources have grown scarce for local residents.
Over the last 6 years, Timberland employees in Asia have partnered with GreenNet, a Japan-based NGO, to plant trees in Inner Mongolia’s Horqin Desert – an area that originated as grassland and has over the course of time become a desert the size of Switzerland . Our partnership with GreenNet is expected to yield 980,000 trees planted by the end of 2009 … well on track to meet our goal of planting one million trees in the Horqin by 2010 . (You can read more about our tree planting efforts in Earthkeepers’ “Horqin Chronicles” blog series.)
Do we think planting a million trees in Inner Mongolia is going to solve Asia’s environmental issues? No more than planting 500 in Barcelona … or 10 in the Dominican Republic … or one in your own backyard. But we believe any action is better than inaction … and that cumulative effort, whether on the scale of a city block or a forest the size of Norway, contributes in a meaningful way to creating climate solutions.
Earthkeeping in Espulges
In Espulges del Llobregat, Spain (just outside of Barcelona), 37 Timberland employees, partners and community volunteers gathered on Earth Day to green the land surrounding Fundació Finestrelles, a care facility for mentally disabled adults.
By day’s end, nearly 9,000 shrubs and other plants dotted the landscape, giving Fundació Finestrelles residents a greener view of the world.
Timberland Earth Day volunteers have committed to taking care of the new plantings until they are well-established, ensuring this patch of land in Espulges is “Earthkept” into the future.
Earthkeeping in the Ukraine
3 cities in the eastern European country of Ukraine got a little greener last month as part of Timberland’s global Earth Day service. Over three days, our partners, employees and consumers – more than 500 volunteers total — planted 50 trees in the city of Dnepropetrovsk, another 50 in Zaporizia, and 184 in the capital city of Kiev.
During the past year, all consumers who purchased an “environmentally-messaged” Timberland shopping bag at one of the Timberland Ukraine stores were invited to join us in the tree-planting project. Those who showed up for the event with their Timberland shopping bag in hand received a sapling to be planted. (Bright, sunny day and cheerful fellow Earthkeepers were supplied at no extra charge).
It’s been estimated that one tree can remove as much as 50 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere each year … which means thanks to the Ukraine Earthkeepers, the air will be more than 14,000 pounds of CO2 cleaner and lighter, per year. Not bad for a day (or three) worth of good work.
Trees4Love
Candy and flowers are so passé. Thanks to our friends at Treehugger for uncovering an environmentally-affectionate alternative for showing your love this Valentine’s Day:
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is giving new meaning to loving trees in their Trees4Love campaign in Kenya. Over 5,000 trees are planned to take root in the Karura Forest in Kenya to fight climate change, promote carbon sequestration and help clean up the Karura River. The official loving ceremony will take place, fittingly, on February 14, 2009. This is part of the larger Plant for the Planet: Billion Trees Campaign.
Several thousand people are expected to attend the event and plant trees in memory of loved ones and out of their love for the planet. The Billion Trees Campaign has thus far planted 2.6 billion trees out of their goal of 7 billion by 2009 (one tree for every inhabitant on the planet). Thus far, Ethiopia has planted the most trees of any country for this campaign – over 700 million trees total.
The ceremony is open for anyone to attend and will take place in the Karura Forest from 1pm to 5:30pm.: UNEP Trees4Love.
Transforming the Land
Our thanks to Timberland’s marketing manager for Singapore, Cheryl Kow, for detailing her tree-planting experience in the Horqin Desert for us. Here is the final installment in Cheryl’s Horqin Chronicles:
We move out early again for a full day of tree planting, which I’m really looking forward to. Our destination: Gabo Desert, just half an hour from the hotel.
Horqin dunes in the early stages of greening
The bus stops at the beginning of a dirt trail and we clamber 3 apiece into small Jeeps which will take us to the main tree planting areas. The back of the Jeeps are too small to sit, so we stand in a row holding the helm. The wind works up the cold in our faces and we watch the barren landscape give way to expansive fields of green grass and gold sunflowers and a sinuous sky of blue ice, against a faraway backdrop of layers and layers of swelling hills that seem to continue forever. We pass maize fields, rice fields. We see sheep, cows and tractors. It’s the pastoral life at its flourishing best and it’s stunning.
In about 10 minutes, we’re back in the desert. We disembark and Mr. Kitaura rounds us up to explain what we’re here to do: build a grid of squares using hay, called Si Fang Ge (literal translation: 4 sided box); the grids help to block the wind and hold the sand in place. Poplars are then planted within each square and the grids ensure protection against the elements and an increased chance of survival.
He speaks briefly of the severity of desertification. The past saw the threat of invasion of proud warriors on armored horseback. While this may no longer pose a threat in modern times, the mainland and Japan are now seeing a second invasion, this time in the form of sand. The desert is dramatically expanding at 10,000 square km per year and affecting the quality of life of the two said countries, evidenced by the apocalyptic sandstorms from the north that assault both Japan and China, especially during the summer months.
Introducing Green Net
Day Two of Cheryl Kow’s Horqin Chronicles, detailing her recent tree-planting experience in the Horqin Desert in Inner Mongolia:
After a breakfast buffet of Chinese staples (fried and steamed pancakes, rice and millet congee, eggs and pickled vegetables), we set off for Agura Desert, where the bulk of the “Timberland Forest” stands.
The road to Agura is lined with tall poplars designed to “catch” strong winds from blowing into the desert. Beyond that, we see wide open sand spaces. There is some beauty in its desolateness.
Tree planting volunteers in the “Timberland Forest” in the Horqin Desert.
Upon our arrival we are welcomed by Mr. Otaki and Mr. Kitaura, two guides from Green Net. Established in January 2000, Green Net is a Japanese non-profit organization that has undertaken the uphill task of reforestation and education in an effort to reverse the desertification process. Timberland has partnered with Green Net for the last 8 years.
Horqin Chronicles
Desertification is a growing environmental problem, particularly in Asia where rapid population growth and land overuse are taking their toll in agriculturally-dependent communities. To help combat desertification, Timberland sends a group of volunteers each year to plant trees in the Horqin Desert in Inner Mongolia – an ever-expanding barren region that generates massive migrating dust clouds which negatively impact air quality in China, Japan and other Asian countries. To date, Timberland has planted approximately 700,000 trees in the Horqin Desert – major progress toward our commitment to plant one million trees by 2010.
The Horqin Desert is located in North China’s Inner Mongolia
Timberland’s marketing manager for Singapore, Cheryl Kow, was among the Horqin volunteers during the annual tree-planting trip in September and agreed to share her thoughts and experiences with us here on Earthkeepers. Below is the first entry in Cheryl’s Horqin Chronicles:
Two colleagues and I touch down at the Shenyang Airport at around 11am via Beijing and meet the other Horqin volunteers from Taiwan. Together we pile into a small van which will take us through Shenyang into Tong Liao province in Inner Mongolia, where the tree planting activities will take place.
It’s a 4-hour ride into the sprawling metropolis of Shenyang in Northwestern China. I am surprised by its modernity. Extensive, multi-storied shopping complexes peer out at us as the van navigates new and sophisticated highways. The familiar red and blue Carrefour insignia whizzes past us.
The urban skyline falls behind the horizon, giving way to a deserted and rustic city as our van pulls up a dusty road to the hotel where we will set base for the next three days. After a quick check-in, we’re on our own until dinner, when the Japan team will arrive.
A colleague and I take a walk around the dusty town, wandering past dilapidated buildings and a couple of new construction sites. A recently-built amusement park helps bring some tourists, which explains the surge of newer hotel establishments, but we still wonder about the lack of people walking the streets.
Our entire group meets for dinner at the hotel, chatting among ourselves about the next two days. We are all anxious and excited to get to work in the Horqin Desert.
Digging It in Outer Sunset
This Saturday, October 18 marks Timberland’s fourth and final Dig It event of the year, taking place in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood. An environmentally-underserved community, Outer Sunset suffers from a lack of trees which exacerbates the city’s water drainage issue with serious consequences; water runs over the concrete jungle of the neighborhood, picks up a variety of chemical pollutants and runs untreated into storm water drains that take the water straight to San Francisco bay.
To reduce the runoff issues and improve the environmental quality of life in the community, local nonprofit Friends of the Urban Forest will lead volunteers in planting nearly 200 trees this weekend. Friends of the Urban Forest helps communities plant over 1,000 trees each year, while also engaging local residents in the ongoing maintenance of existing trees through its Tree Care program.
Friends of the Urban Forest bringing green to the streets of San Francisco
Further increasing the positive environmental impact of Saturday’s Dig It event: A bicycle-powered generator will help provide clean power to the effort, and volunteers will be shuttled around the service area in a bus fueled by 75% biodiesel.
Stone Gossard fans, this is your last chance this year to see him live in exchange for a few hours of Earthkeeping labor! To register for Saturday’s Dig It event, click here … and stay tuned for photos, clips and results from all four Dig It events.
