Join the Regenerative Renaissance
Every Purchase
Plants a Tree
Trees are the lungs of our planet.
At Forest and Ether, we recognize that the health of the planet affects everyone who lives on it. Each tree weaves life into its unique bioregion by increasing soil health, which filters water, provides shade and shelter for diverse plant, insect, and animal life, and exchanges the CO2 of every breath we take into the oxygen we need to survive. Fresh air, clean water, and healthy ecosystems are requirements of all living beings that transcend all borders.
That’s why we have teamed up with the Eden Reforestation Projects to plant a tree for every purchase made.
We are proud to have customers who collaborate with us to make the world a better place by supporting global reforestation efforts. This article will explore what goes on behind the scenes to make it possible.
Impact of planting Mangrove trees
Mangroves are unique ecosystems found throughout a wide range in the tropics and occupying the intertidal areas of more than 120 countries. Mangroves and coastal wetlands are globally important for the many services they provide to humans and the planet. These services include protection against storm surges, sheltering nurseries for fish and other marine life, building materials and firewood, and critical services to stabilizing the global climate as an essential store of carbon.
Mangroves, an incredible carbon sink
With the rapid increase in greenhouse gas emissions over the last century, the need for enduring carbon sinks has grown. The latest models suggest that to remain within “acceptable” global temperature increase, it is no longer enough to reduce emissions and protect existing forests simply, but rather that we need to increase the ability to sequester carbon rapidly. Globally, mangrove systems are estimated to hold an astounding 20 petagrams of carbon. For a biome representing less than 5% of the world’s terrestrial area, this makes mangroves one of the most important carbon stocks, even more than many rainforests like the Amazon. Equally, as a relatively fast-growing group of species, mangroves sequester carbon at a very fast rate.
Let’s MakE SOme Medicine,
& Plant SOme Trees
Help support wildlife and diversity
As forests are destroyed, wildlife species lose their natural habitat, forcing them to relocate and limiting their ability to survive. Madagascar is one of the world’s greatest conservation priorities, with over 200 species of mammals, 100 species of lemurs, 300 species of birds, and almost 300 species of amphibians. Around ninety percent of all wildlife in Madagascar is endemic. Our work with Eden protects these wildlife species in Madagascar by restoring their natural habitats.
Frequently Asked Questions
$0.50 of Each Product Purchased
Plants One Tree
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We work with Eden Reforestation to plant our mangrove species. Their cost per tree is inexpensive because most of the resources they need to plant a tree are either free or extremely affordable.
A large majority of the trees we plant are mangrove species, and at 3-5 years of age, this species begins to produce and drop its own propagules, which can be used to give rise to a new tree. In the beginning, our partners collected resources from existing forests, and now they are producing an abundance of resources from their own forests.
When the need arises, they purchase seeds in bulk and at a low cost from local sources. Many of the trees we plant are mangroves that only grow along coastlines creating "coastal forests," if you will. This provides the trees with an irrigation system that is largely self-sufficient and reduces the costs associated with irrigation.
All of Eden’s International Employees are paid fair wages that have been transformational for their quality of life. Because our projects are in developing nations, this cost, combined with the speed and efficiency of the planting processes, allows Eden to plant a large volume of trees at a very low price.
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Transparency is key. We work with “Eden Projects” who uses “The Good API” to integrate this tree planting system into our e-commerce website.
Here are some links that show the impact we have made together with our collaborators and customers.
The Tree Planting Ledger keeps a running count of all trees that have been paid for and their corresponding certificates.
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This is a fair concern and here is what we are doing to alleviate it:
Our partners work carefully with all levels of government to secure written agreements designating the restoration sites as protected in perpetuity.
They hire people from local communities to plant trees. In this way, we alleviate extreme poverty within the impacted community. Fair and consistent employment provides an economic incentive to ensure the well-being of the restoration project.
Additionally, those who plant the trees have a sense of “ownership” over the restored forests, so they protect them with great care.
A percentage of the trees planted are agroforestry species (fruit, fodder species designed to provide food security and benefit legitimate human needs). Over time these trees become a source of sustainable income.
They do everything possible to supply the local communities with alternative fuel sources (e.g., fuel-efficient dry wood stoves and solar parabolic stoves), reducing and or eliminating the dependence on charcoal.
They hire forest guards as part of the labor force to protect the forests. Forest guards are part of the overall budget.
Most significantly, we have seen the local communities fall in love with their forest. They benefit from the restored forest through an increase in fisheries, improved farming, cleaner water, and the formation of micro-enterprises. As the employees work to restore their land, their lives are transformed as well.
Eden has also created a Forest Guard Endowment Fund, whereby one cent of the price of each tree is put into a fund for the long-term guarding and protection of our sites.
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The tree planting service charges $0.50 per tree
- $0.15 goes to Eden Reforestation Projects
- $0.17 goes to The Good API operational costs
- $0.15 goes to Squarespace for partnership fees.
- $0.03 goes to credit card fees
This totals to $0.50 per tree
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By shopping with Forest and Ether, you are contributing to global reforestation efforts, as each purchase from our online store plants one tree.
Follow Forest and Ether on social media to learn more about our future eco-collaborations. To learn more about Eden Reforestation Projects, visit their website www.edenproject.com