Two (!) Million Tree Campaign
Part of NCP's If a Tree Falls... program
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"With your help, we have planted 67,099 trees in the past three years," they told us on our visit to Malawi in May 2022 - but who's counting... :)
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Half the world's forests are already gone. And without out them, our world is hotter, drier, with more floods and erosion, and there is less oxygen, habitat, beauty & birds! And there is more carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere, as deforestation is a major cause of climate change. Yet here we learn that
the world's forests still store up more carbon - over 7 billion tons - than the US emits annually.
All this is why New Community Project launched our Million Tree Campaign on Earth Day 2019.
And thanks to the support of our network and tree-planting efforts of our partners, we've now
raised our 10-year goal to TWO Million Trees! It's all part of our overall If a Tree Falls... program
and is designed to up our game in response to the looming specter of climate change and
on-going destruction of the world's forests, even as the number of living creatures on earth
continues to drop precipitously as their forest homes disappear.
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What will be planted where? In Congo (photo), our partners will plant mango, avocado,
oranges and other fruit trees for food and to sell, eucalyptus and acacia for firewood
and building material, and moringa trees for medicines. They are aiming for 10,000
trees this year.
Jackfruit and avocado are planted for food by our co-worker Jimmy Zan in Myanmar, and
pin sein for firewood (limbs grow back after being cut off, plus it has a beautiful blossom).
Many trees there are planted along roads in the hill areas to stop erosion. We sent Jimmy
$600 this year - he'll plant 6000 trees by gathering seeds and scavenging avocado pits
from local restaurants.
In Malawi (see video at right!) we are working with our partner
Creative Solutions for the Environment to create forests with a mix of medicinal and fruit
trees, nitrogen-fixing trees, and firewood trees - and to mitigate climate change. "With your help,
we have planted 67,099 trees in the past three years," they told us on our visit to one
community in May 2022 - but who's counting... :)
In South Sudan the focus is on trees like jackfruit, moringa, teak, and some for firewood. And rain.
Paskwale Ben tells us he's planting "rainforest": "If we plant trees, the rains return," he says.
Through his site and two others, NCP is the leading reforestation group in this entire region
of South Sudan.
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In the Ecuadorian Amazon we are supporting native communities
who are fighting off timber harvesting, oil companies, and
palm oil plantations, while engaged in planting indigenous trees
in areas where they've been logged. One partner is a Shuar community along
the Aguarico River. Several generations ago, they were known to be
head-shrinkers - now they are tree planters. Our grant provides funds for
reforestation as well as environmental education in the local school. Here, the
PTA chairman poses with two students with one of the trees they planted.
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We're beginning work in Nepal, where our partner, anti-trafficking organization
Shakti Samuha, tells us “Climate change leads to instability and instability increases
trafficking." In a delivery to mountainous Sindhupalchowk, nine trafficking survivors
received three types of fruit plants—Lemon, Orange, and Walnut—along with two plants
aimed at enhancing oxygen levels and the environment, namely Prosopis
Cineraria (Sami) and Camphor (Kapur). Similarly, in Hetauda, nine members were
provided five types of fruit plants—Litchi, Mango, Lemon, Avocado, and Indian
Gooseberry (Amala)—as well as two additional plants, Cinnamon Leaf (Tejpatta)
and Dhupi (Not got the exact English word for this) . The cost of these plants varies,
with prices ranging from Rs. 150 ($1.15) to Rs. 450.
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In Borneo, we're now working with the forestry department and
community nurseries to restore mangroves in areas where oil palm
plantations have destroyed them as well as forested areas that
have suffered the same fate. Read all about the mangrove
initiative at Mangroves to the Rescue!
Help us create habitat, food, medicines, shade, rain - and safety!
Your contribution can also offset your carbon emissions - a tree in the
tropics takes in around 50 pounds of carbon every year! And these trees will just make our world beautifuller :)
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​$1 plants 10 trees
10 trees absorb 500 pounds of CO2 per year
OR
or $1 plants 2 mangrove trees
2 mangrove trees (and offshoots) and the soil beneath them store 1000 pounds of CO2
Make a difference – plant trees!
Send donations to NCP at our VA address, or here:
Get your club, congregation or school group involved.
As with all our Special Projects, 100% of donations go to the programs - really!
Click the "W" to:
Download this awesome Skit
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AND
Campaign Poster
Here's an album with photos and stories.
Video highlights of NCP reforestation efforts
10 cents plants a tree in many areas where we work!