​How we planted 1,000 trees, and how you can too

With the Paris Agreement target of 1,5 degrees slowly getting out of reach, we are in desperate need of solutions to curb climate change. There is no miracle solution: planting trees won’t save the planet. At least not if we don’t transition away from fossil fuels.

But beyond urging societies to reduce carbon emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also recommends cleaning up our atmosphere from polluting gasses with the only known effective methods so far: “reforestation and ecosystem restoration”. That’s where trees play a key role.

The planet’s lungs

Trees absorb carbon and other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, helping maintain the temperatures down. But that’s not all: trees and forests also provide protection from flooding for coastal communities and shelter for a wide array of plants and wildlife.

They can also play a role in alleviating hunger and poverty. Trendhim for example partnered with the NGO Trees for the Future in order to create Forest Gardens, as a source of nutrition and income for farmers around the world. Their goal: bringing one million people out of hunger and poverty by 2025.

Businesses stepping up

Corporations, big and small, are and will be key in fighting climate change. Under this year’s theme, “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”, the World Economic Forum will call on business executives to step up alongside government leaders.

Trendhim might have started small, with an initial 1,000 trees planted through orders placed via Facebook ads. But this has already allowed us to test balancing our climate actions with our economic sustainability. A key step in being able to raise our ambitions.

Plant as you can

Planting trees might not save the planet. But it will certainly help make it a nicer, fresher, cleaner and more biodiverse place to live. To let plants back into our urban centres, and fight the heat island effect, some local governments, like Paris, even encourage citizens to plant trees in their backyard, and other types of plants on their balconies.

This might not seem like much, but planting a tree in your garden can contribute to a cleaner atmosphere: once mature (after 10 years), it can absorb up to 22 kilos of CO2 per year. If you have no idea where to start, My garden plant has all the tips you need to get started with your garden. Or you can jump on the next Trendhim campaign to make sure your order gets 10 trees planted.