Why trees? For the future
If you’re new to our community you might be wondering what One Hat Sold, Ten Trees Planted means. Four years ago we partnered with Trees For The Future (Trees) to embark on our tree planting journey and here’s why.
As humans, we’ve been taking from the earth forever and now it’s time to give back. For us, the idea about caring for the planet is the most powerful thing for us to perpetuate. By selling a product that acts as a vehicle to do so, gives us the opportunity to hand over the power of change to our customers and community!
Trees are the building blocks to our ecological environment. As the biggest plants on the planet, they provide us with oxygen, store carbon, stabilise soil and give food and shelter to the world’s wildlife. They also provide nations with economic stability and not to mention, they’re incredibly intelligent!
Originally, when we heard of the work that TFTF were doing, it made nothing but sense to be planting more trees. At this point in the early stages of business, our lofty dreams to stand up for mother nature and her part in the equation of business went from feeling impossible to suddenly being possible!
Our impact partner: Trees For The Future
Trees for the Future have spent 30 years planting trees all over the world. This experience led them to developing what is now their Forest Garden Approach a training program which helps people to plant their way out of poverty. This program provides local community members the opportunity to turn degraded land into a fertile Forest Garden over the span of 4 years. This ceates a sustainable, balanced ecosystem that delivers local, organic food supply, job opportunity and a boost in the local economy. This level of consideration for people, planet and profit (3ps) were what drew us to this program and partnership.
Throughout the course of our four year partnership with these bunch of legends, we’ve come to realise that we are not bound by borders. Everything is connected, we are all connected and we are all responsible for one thing, our Earth.
“Planting one tree is incredible, planting 10 trees can be a truly powerful thing"
- John Leary
Planting in Senegal, Africa.
In the tropics, we lose 50 football fields of trees every minute. Yep that's right, every, single, minute. And in Senegal, a long tradition of monocropping (peanut farming) has stripped the earth bare leaving nothing but barren land. The local communities of Senegal struggle to make ends meet off one crop a year and if that crop fails, they go hungry.
They’re literally relying on peanuts. When we heard these figures and devastating ways of living we knew that something had to change and believe it's essential to support these developing countries in meeting environmental and humanitarian goals. So we’re making a change one hat and ten trees at a time.
“After 20yrs of working in agricultural development. The example of the Forest Garden is my greatest pride"
- John Leary, Trees for the Future CEO
A JOURNEY THROUGH SENEGAL
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