It’s Arbor Day And Together We’ve Planted 20 Million Trees
Today is Arbor Day, a day for tree planting that has roots in distant history. The first ever Arbor Day was celebrated in 1594 in the village of Mondoñedo, Spain, where the mayor called for a tree planting festival. Even today, the lime and chestnut trees they planted on that day in 1594 still stand.
Arbor Day was first celebrated in North America when the state of Nebraska planted 1 million trees on April 10, 1872. On April 15th, 1907, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt issued an "Arbor Day Proclamation to the School Children of the United States" that forestry and the importance of trees be taught to students across the country.
Since then, countries around the world have created their own tree-planting celebrations. Countless trees are being planted in the name of protecting the planet we play in.
With the importance of Arbor Day in mind, we’re proud to announce that together, we’ve reached the milestone of 20 million trees planted! It wouldn't have been possible without all of our awesome customers and supportive fans.
How do these trees help?
Trees clean the air
Trees are like magic. They remove airborne pollutants like nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone, and they also soak up carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Not only that, but trees replace all these pollutants with oxygen, which humans need to survive. Did you know that, in one year, a mature tree can provide enough oxygen for 18 people?
Trees protect our water
How is it that trees can actually protect water? While it’s true that trees require water to survive, they also prevent erosion and runoff that can contaminate water supplies. Trees make it much less likely that storm water will carry pollutants to waterways, and their shade can help slow evaporation too.
Trees restore the land
One of the consequences of deforestation is the transformation of fertile, lush land into something harder to farm and live off of. Desertification can creep into places where tree cover has been lost, and as we saw in Nepal during the 2015 earthquake, landslides are a huge issue when trees have been clear cut from hillsides. The trees we plant are helping stop erosion, landslides, and desertification.
Trees help people
Perhaps one of the least considered impacts of tree planting is the impact on people. Worldwide, 1.3 billion people who live in poverty count on forests in order to make a portion of their living. 60 million people depend solely on forests in order to survive. These 20 million trees are providing fuel, housing, and food alongside clean air, safe water, and restored habitats.