It might be a coincidence that Tentsile’s birthday is in the same month as International day of Forests, but it’s no coincidence we embrace it with both branches! The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21st the International Day of Forests back in 2012 in order to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. With 10 million hectares lost annually to deforestation and approximately 70 million hectares affected by fires, tree-planting efforts are more important than ever.
That's why today, to mark the occasion, we're committing to planting 30,000 extra trees!!!
Forests and trees are essential for our world. Not only do they stabilise the climate, absorbing the excessive carbon emissions produced by the ever-modernising human world, but they also provide ecosystems for all types of life, whether it be the insects and funguses that live in the mosses that grow around their roots, the birds that nest in their branches, the animals that feed on their leaves, or even - in true Tentsile style - the Ewoks that live in their canopies. You name, you think of it, trees and forests are the pillars of our natural world, supporting life as we know it. If we take them away, we take away more than just the greenery that softens our plants; we take away life itself. Moreover, sustainable reforestation projects can help empower local residents through land mapping and local employment. The most important thing, then, if we can’t stop chopping them – for Christmas trees, for home furniture, for homes - is to re-plant what we take. We need to actively go out there and replenish the golden goose from which we, humans, so rapaciously take.
So, activism is an important part of the change needed. We need our trees to stand up and being planted. To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr. "If we cannot do great things, we can do small things in a great way." Tentsile feels the same way. We can not match the great might of the big projects - like those mentioned in a previous blog - of India’s world-recording-smashing 50 million trees in one day or Mr Beast’s 24 million trees since 2020. But we can plant as many as we can. We are actively engaged in reforestation endeavours, and after today's announcement we're delighted to say we'll have planted 70,000 new trees with veritree since we started working with them in May 2023, and over a million trees since the seed of Tentsile first grew shoots. Teaming up with Veritree and their blockchain technology, each tree's environmental impact is meticulously accounted for. And our 70,000 trees this year will cover 6.9 hectares – equivalent to almost ten football pitches that will sequester 17,001 tonnes of CO2.
And those committed Tentsile-blog-followers among you will know that our recent focus has centred on the reforesting of mangroves in Kenya's Likoni river delta – a call for help by the Kenyan government to combat erosion, foster biodiversity, provide habitats and boost local employment. Through collaboration with Earth Lung, we contribute to ecosystem restoration and community resilience efforts.
As we commemorate the International Day of Forests, let us acknowledge the incremental significance of each tree planted. The coming year holds untold possibilities, but one certainty prevails: our concerted efforts can cultivate a flourishing environment for posterity. As we at Tentsile begin to look at where else we can plant more trees, let us extend a symbolic gesture of appreciation to the forests and their many wonders. Let trees and forests elevate our natural experience.
