Eden Reforestations nursery bed in Antsanitia, Madagascar
- Wendell Barry
Forests are instrumental to our planet. They serve as homes, stores of carbon and sources of environmental stability.
Despite these obvious benefits, Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS) estimates that each year, an area the size of Switzerland is lost to deforestation.
Pictured here is Borneo, Malaysia.
The local rainforest has been decimated to make way for Palm Oil plantations.
The regions most impacted by deforestation are poverty-stricken. To provide basic living needs for their families, people are forced to participate in activities that cause long-term damage to the land they call home.
The result is an unsustainable relationship between the land and the people.
Introducing Eden Reforestation Projects - your favorite charity's favorite charity.
We're not kidding. They're so efficient, other philanthropies will actually donate their funds directly to this crew.
Eden uses a decentralized approach: they hire locally to form planting teams in communities that need them most.
Here's how it works:
The key for reforestation efforts is to present an immediate benefit to the local population.
By hiring within the community, the incentive structure is flipped. Environmental destruction is no longer seen as a necessary tradeoff to improve quality of life.
With a steady income, locals are able to afford daily necessities - all while maintaining their surroundings for a future generation.
When our efforts take root, we build a virtuous cycle for these communities and the environments they inhabit.
You can donate directly to our friends at the Eden Reforestation Projects here.
Proceeds from your Art Bloom order will go directly to Eden to plant 5 trees.
