“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” – Nelson Henderson
Who doesn’t love to sit under a big old shady tree and read a book, or take a nap, or just gaze out and let your mind wander? Trees are one of the most important living organisms on our fragile planet. And the more we plant, the healthier our environment will be. Some people believe that the benefits of planting trees have “mind-blowing potential.” Regardless of whether or not you have your mind blown, most people can agree that planting trees will counterbalance the environmental ill-effects created by humans and industry – including those of deforestation.
Several non-profits focus their mission on getting every-day-people and companies alike to pitch in and plant trees in an effort to clean the air and help out the earth. With the Arbor Day Foundation expounding on the benefits of planting trees to include:
- Cleaning the air
- Providing oxygen
- Taming stormwater
- Reducing energy consumption
- Providing numerous benefits to wildlife
- Fighting and counteracting climate change
The push to plant trees has been rapidly gaining momentum from some unexpected places. In 2019, YouTube celebrities MrBeast and MarkRober started TeamTrees on a dare with the goal of planting a tree for every dollar raised. They set a lofty target of planting 20 million trees – which they exceeded.
Other organizations have jumped on the tree-planting bandwagon as well. Some are planting trees in exchange for donations, while others are planting in exchange for purchased products – yes, that’s right! You can help save the planet while also satisfying your retail obsession. The One for One model pioneered by Tom’s founder Blake Mycoskie has been finessed to plant a tree for every single purchase.
We’ve hand-picked a list of some of our favorite tree-planting retailers from which you can peruse. Click away at these amazing organizations that will plant a tree in exchange for various products. Maybe we can make every day Arbor Day!
- Trinity Oaks- Is it really possible to combat climate change by drinking wine? The answer is a resounding YES! California-based Trinity Oaks Winery will plant a tree for every bottle of wine sold. If you were me or one of my friends, you could have already saved the planet with the amount of sauvignon blanc we drink! For details on their program, visit http://onebottleonetree.com/.
- Sapling Spirits- We want to cover all of our alcoholic bases, so we are happy to learn that the UK’s Sapling Spirits also plants a tree for every bottle of British vodka sold. The great thing about this Brit company, they also provide you with a unique code that enables you to find out what type of tree was planted and where.
- Baron Fig- This upscale stationery and office supply retailer promises to plant a tree with every Confidant notebook purchase. The Confidant is the company’s signature notebook that comes in many variations. The thing that makes this notebook unique, it is bound (not spiral) – yet lays completely flat when opened.
- Tree Tribe- Tree Tribe is an ecologically-minded online gift shop that plants a tree for every sale made. From clothing to drinkware and leathergoods to masks, Tree Tribe’s sales have resulted in over 450,000 trees planted.
- WeWood- This watch company creates watch masterpieces out of recycled and reclaimed wood. WeWood also promises to plant a tree for every watch purchased.
- Woodchuck USA- Another wood-centric gift retailer, Woodchuck promises to plant a tree for every product purchased. Based in Minnesota, Woodchuck “manufactures technology-driven wood products and specializes in customization.”
