It’s a digital community that connects the givers to the growers. New Zealand charity Trees That Count has made it easier for Kiwi companies to fund the planting of native trees, and for community groups around the country to get stuck in and plant them.
Native trees are a gift to our natural environment. They absorb carbon from the atmosphere, encourage biodiversity, help restore waterways, and reduce soil and rainwater run-off. So, the more the merrier.
Trees That Count matches the people who want to fund trees, to the people who want to plant trees. Pretty simple, really. And so far over 2,000,000 trees have been funded through this innovative platform. It’s made it easier for individuals and businesses to act on climate change – making a healthier, greener, and more beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand.
Trees That Count uses donations to buy trees that planting groups can then apply for. A school might want to plant 50 trees, a farmer might want a few hundred trees to restore part of the land, or community groups might need 5000-6000 trees for a special project. The platform enables individuals and businesses to donate these trees, and in doing so demonstrate environmental leadership – and that’s great currency for businesses these days.
The platform also allows crowdfunding through the charity’s website. So, you could engage customers and donate native trees as part of a promotion. Or as an individual you could have a forest for your wedding present, instead of the fondue set – crowdfunding is an idea that resonates with everyone.
You’re also assured that every tree is making a difference. All the trees that are planted are counted and mapped, to help build a wider picture of New Zealand’s planting efforts. And by counting the native trees planted by community groups, government agencies, schools, and people in their backyards we can measure the collective impact of their work, and ultimately its impact on climate change. You can see the results. It’s about planting trees that count – for climate change, biodiversity, and restoring the natural environment.
They’ve got big ambitions too. Trees That Count was awarded a grant from the Provincial Growth Fund as part of the One Billion Trees programme, and they’re using that to help community conservation groups get busy planting. The charity’s mission is to see 200 million new native trees matched to more planting groups over the next 10 years.
So, if you want to see where match making meets tree planting... we know a place.
