Treedom - Plant personal tree online

Every person should at some point in their life have a Plant tree - at least that's what you often hear. Can you tick off this task already? As you know, I want to work with CareElite prevent us from losing our awareness of nature more and more. Increasing digitalization and the fact that everything can be ordered around the clock unfortunately reinforces this negative development - even though new technologies naturally also have great advantages. So if we become increasingly comfortable - who will plant all the trees? To do my part to get more people planting trees again, I joined Juliette Migot from the Italian StartUp Treedom for an interview. On the Treedom website you can easily plant trees online, support a small farmer with the yields, personalize the tree and watch it grow. Find out how this works and why this project is so great in our interview. Have fun!

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Hi Juliette! What is Treedom and who is behind it? 

Founded in Florence in 2010 by Federico Garcea and Tommaso Speroni, Treedom is the only website in the world that allows its users to plant a tree remotely and follow it online. Since its inception, more than 450,000 trees have already been planted in Africa, Asia, South America and Italy.

"If millions of people are spending money planting trees virtually in FarmVille, why shouldn't they be planted in real life?"

Originally inspired by the popular browser game FarmVille, we are bringing tree planting into the 21st century in a playful way, bridging the gap between the real and virtual worlds, between digital natives and small farmers worldwide. After all, if millions of people spend money planting trees virtually on FarmVille, why shouldn't they plant them in real life? With Treedom, we've succeeded in something crucial: optimism in the face of overwhelming problems - something that pleases, is fun, and at the same time brings joy to others.

Why is it so cool to plant trees online?

Trees have numerous benefits. Just this year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's report on "The State of The World's Forest" made clear that trees may be the answer to the Climate Change are. That's because they make an important contribution to both people and our planet. They strengthen food security worldwide, provide new income opportunities, sequester CO2, protect biodiversity, strengthen the ecosystem, and contribute naturally to climate regulation - so planting trees online can help protect the Stop climate change. At Treedom, we plant exclusively in small agroforestry systems and can thus respond precisely to the needs of each project area, which at the same time result in important social and economic benefits for the local communities. Each small farmer is an independent custodian of his land and thus benefits directly from the harvest of the fruits. He can diversify his income, increase productivity in the long term, and even create small business initiatives. This creates a financial foundation, which in turn brings social benefits (educational opportunities, women empowerment, etc.) to local communities. Furthermore, local ecosystems are sustainably strengthened through the planting of specific fruit and crop trees. Native plant species are clearly preferred in order not to pose a threat to the local flora and fauna.

To what extent are you on the cutting edge with Treedom?

When it comes to effective sustainability commitment, the great art is no longer just to point the finger and make everyone understand that they must and can do something about it. In this day and age, and especially in digital times, something personal is needed to create an additional incentive.

Even though general environmental awareness has grown steadily in recent years, the temporal and spatial distance between those causing and those affected by environmental changes still remains. For example, when industrialized countries overexploit nature, developing countries often suffer the consequences. If the direct experience is missing, it is often replaced by the indirect one and other problems come into focus.

At Treedom, we try to build exactly this bridge by making the impact of reforestation projects a virtual experience in a playful way. For example, our community gets to know the smallholders on site, receives regular updates on our projects and can follow the story of its tree online. Furthermore, we provide a unique transparency. Each tree is geolocated and photographed when it is transplanted. In theory, this also allows me to visit my own tree in real life at some point. Not to mention, with Treedom, I'm also automatically part of a growing community that gives trees away to each other, actively greening our planet. And all this with just one click!

What Bäume can be planted online with Treedom - and where?

We plant fruit and crop trees in Africa, Asia, South America and Italy . Generally we plant a wide variety of tree species, but to give a few examples: Mango trees in Thailand, Grapefruit trees in Haiti, Cacao trees in Cameroon and Avocado trees in Kenya. Just visit our website and discover which trees we are currently planting. At the same time, you can find out how much CO2 a tree binds and what benefits it has. After all, each tree species has a specific benefit for the respective project area. (Note: Here you can learn everything about the Treedom projects)

How to use Treedom - how to plant a tree? 

At Treedom you can plant a tree with just one click. You just have to go to our website treedom.net and choose a tree of your choice. Once the tree is planted, you get your own profile page and can give the tree a name. At this point, the tree is still in the nursery and it may take a few days for it to grow its first roots. Once it is transplanted, you will receive a photo of the tree and its exact coordinates. But Treedom is not just about planting a tree yourself. You can also give the tree to someone else at any time, and you can also choose the shipping method and when you want to give the gift. This Christmas we have a special Limited Edition with a selection of a wide variety of trees that you can also personalize with a message when you give them as a gift. Not to mention, anyone who plants a tree by December 31 will automatically be entered into our sweepstakes and, with a little luck, could win a trip for 2 to Tanzania.

So if you're still looking for a personal and sustainable gift idea for your loved ones, check out Treedom.

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Treedom is a wonderful idea that benefits both people and the environment. As a user, you can do something good and watch the tree grow - as a small farmer, you are supported by the user and can earn a living from the harvest. And it is certainly possible to visit the planted tree once in a lifetime. Personally, I think it's great that the tree is so personalized - it raises awareness of nature. What do you think about Treedom and which tree would you like to plant one day? 😉

Stay clean,

PS.: In the article Plants and herbs to grow yourself find out which 10 plants you should have at home in the kitchen to get the most avoid a lot of plastic waste. Have fun!