Its National Arbor month in South Africa and Worldwide Experience would like to challenge you to get involved in greening our planet by planting a tree or donating trees to a tree planting organization.
Trees do so much more for us other than just providing food, shelter and protection. Trees help to combat noise pollution, are home to many animals, provide oxygen, prevent flooding and cool down the earth’s temperature. Trees are an integral part of are earth and therefore need to be protected.
Here are a few interesting facts about the value of a single tree according to Jumbo Tree Services:
- One tree is able to absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces by driving close to 42000 kilometers
- A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year
- In a single trees life, it can absorb 1 ton of carbon dioxide
You can learn and calculate the value of a tree by using a tree benefit calculator.
Our charity partner, Greenpop, believes that between 2000 and 2030 the urban population will more than double and urban space will increase by more than 700%. As this happens, ecosystems and the essential natural assets they provide will come under threat. During this time of expansion and innovation, it is imperative that natural spaces are both protected and incorporated into urban landscapes. In response to the recent study showing that tree planting is the best way to mitigate climate change, Greenpop aims to dramatically increase their tree count, with a bold new goal of 500 000 trees by 2025.
You can get involved by donating a tree to Greenpop or by planting your own tree. If you’ve previously travelled with Worldwide Experience, we have already planted a tree on your behalf, or if you were one of our 250 travellers in 2018, we will be planting a tree on your behalf at our 2019 tree planting day at Founders Lodge. To give you an idea of the carbon footprint generated by our volunteers’ air travel, we have calculated that each volunteer would need to plant at least 6 trees to offset the carbon footprint generated from one trip. (This based on a return international flight between London and Johannesburg, South Africa, plus an average 1.5 – 2 hour onward return flight which equals 6.7 trees).
If you choose to donate a tree this Arbor month, Greenpop’s aim is to raise 10 000 trees in 30 days! For every R120/$10 donation, Greenpop will plant a tree in one of their forest restoration projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. These trees will fight climate change, restore ecosystems and improve lives.
If you’ve decided to rather plant your own tree, you can read our parent company’s blog on “How to plant a tree, the right way”
By Bianca Eke, Conservation Experience Consultant
