Unprecedented times

Planet Earth is currently going through a very difficult time. We produce more than 380 million tons of plastic every year, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. Meanwhile, we also cut down 10 million hectares of forest over the same period - an area ten times the size of the Netherlands or almost the size of England.

The truth is that we are currently depleting the earth's resources at an unprecedented rate. Our way of consuming has become increasingly unsustainable in recent decades. That's why our decisions are more important now than ever.

That's why we're proud that offering natural and plastic-free products is the foundation of The Bamboovement. It's our way of trying to make the world a little better.

Sustainable initiatives

However, there is always an extra step you can take. In our case, for example, working with like-minded organizations. Because we also believe that collaboration on ambitious initiatives can lead to fruitful contributions. That's why we're very pleased that we recently met with the International Association of Human Values (IAHV) and Eden Reforestation Projects (ERP).

We met Shailen Mittal, a member of the senior management team at IAHV UK, at an event in London. From the beginning, the shared desire to restore the world to health was evident. He is the project manager of Climate Action Now (CAN), an IAHV initiative to collect donations to plant as many trees as possible.

Reforestation

Shailen's open-mindedness, passion and network paved the way for our new partnership. Because through IAHV we came into contact with ERP, a global expert in tree planting with hundreds of millions of trees on the counter. They work in eight different countries and manage over two hundred local projects. You can find a detailed overview of the complete portfolio at this website. Your work inspired us to also focus on planting trees. We grow one for every order placed in our webshop, every freebie sold and every subscription to the newsletter. In this video, founder Dr. Stephen Fitch their daily work to achieve their mission.

Why Eden Reforestation Projects?

There are more and more NGOs working hard to combat deforestation. Why did we choose to partner with IAHV and ERP?

To answer this question, let's look at the effects of deforestation: severe flooding, erosion and desertification. Local ecosystems and communities in particular feel these consequences. Native biodiversity is plummeting and local populations are being pushed into extreme poverty because the land that supports them no longer exists. That's why we believe that the key to successful tree planting projects is to actively involve the local population.

Busy-to-work

ERP's "Employ-to-Plant Vision" is a beautiful initiative that recognizes the interest of these local communities. By hiring villagers to grow saplings and plant trees, they provide them with a steady income. As the reforestation project continues, healthy forests will emerge again. Meanwhile, the negative effects of deforestation are beginning to fade.

The core values ​​of the employ-to-plant method are:

• working with villages to restore their forests;
• educating locals in exchange for a steady income;
• collecting native seeds from remaining forests;
• Achieve a survival rate of at least 80%.

A growing movement

You might feel discouraged when you read the facts in the first paragraph. Or when you watch the news and see frightening images and videos of bushfires blazing in every corner of the world. However, an incredible growing movement is working hard to preserve the Earth's rich biodiversity.

Countries from all parts of the world are recognizing the benefits of protecting forests and their ecosystems. Ethiopia is a good example. In 2019 they broke one Record by planting 350 million trees in one day. Your new goal? Five billion trees to plant to preserve their national forests. New policies are also being introduced around the world to tackle plastic pollution. African countries are pioneers in banning plastic items. Finally kick too the western countries following in their footsteps by introducing stricter policies.

Our goal

We are aware that the manufacturing and shipping of products results in CO2 emissions. That's why we have set ourselves the goal of calculating the ecological footprint of our products. This means we know what needs to be done to fully offset the emissions from our range.

By planting trees we can offer CO2-neutral and ultimately CO2-negative products. CO2 negative is climate positive. This type of product stores more CO2 than the production process requires. In 2022 we want to contribute to the restoration of valuable forests with at least 100,000 trees.

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