Help Plant 7 Billion Trees In 2009

Vivi Gorman
Posted on Friday 5th June 2009

Mokugift provides an avenue to planting one tree for every person on the planet by year’s end in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). For $1 per tree via “online gifting,” supporters can join artists and athletes to plant trees through mokugift.com, similar to sending an e-card. Recipients can proudly display their trees online at Facebook, MySpace, MyYahoo, iGoogle and other websites. Moku mean tree in Japanese.

In 2006, the UNEP launched the Billion Tree Campaign to raise awareness and action in response to climate change. Mokugift is an official partner of UNEP.

In a press release, Mokugift said farmers practicing sustainable forestry and agricultural methods plant mokugift trees in tropical zones in Central America, Africa and Asia. The plantings not only restock existing forests that have been depleted, but also contribute to more diverse, productive and economically sustainable land-use systems. An average tropical tree absorbs 50 pounds of carbon dioxide annually over its lifetime, providing enough clean oxygen for two people, it says. The planting of real mokugift trees is administered by nonprofit agroforestry organizations such as Trees For The Future and Sustainable Harvest International.

To date, UNEP has tracked the planting of more than three billion trees in 166 countries. Now in its second stage, the campaign, focusing on partnerships, has set a new goal of seven billion trees planted before the end of 2009--roughly one tree for every living person on the planet. Every tree counts, and UNEP counts every tree.

test image for this block