Planting Trees and Planting Lives

Trees are essential to life, and as essential as they are we often take them for granted. Think about it, when was the last time you noticed nature, let alone a tree? Our lives are so fast-paced we may end up looking for our car keys while we are driving. Appreciation is one thing but what about the benefit that trees have on our everyday lives, from their beauty to providing us oxygen to breathe. The good thing is that there are a growing number of dreamers who are taking action. Tree planting is increasing with popularity, my previous article on GoSun, talks about how they use planting trees as part of their business model. Some countries are taking this issue seriously and moving at a pace that will surely impress the Guinness Book of World Records.

Benefits of Trees

Trees have many benefits that are helpful to everyone. The most common attribute of trees is that they provide oxygen. Trees can also help cool the earth by providing shade, which cools our homes and streets. Trees help increase safety, as neighborhoods with trees help reduce fear. Compared to neighborhoods green with trees other areas have more incidents of violence. Trees can make you money as they can help raise your property value by 15%. To learn more, visit TreePeople and read all of their 22 benefits of trees.

Impossible is Nothing

IFLScience shares that India has taken to tree planting with enthusiasm. India is trying hard to help their country go green, and raise the awareness levels of conservation. They are so committed that they have their eyes set on the Guinness Book of World Records. That great book or website by now, lists some pretty cool records and some that are just plain weird. On one faithful day IFLScience reported more than 800,000 people in India planted 49.3 million tree saplings in only 24 hours. This shows the power of the people if they are inspired and motivated to pursue change.

Breaking Records With Tree Planting

The communities planted many different tree saplings, from different species, which will produce a wide variety of trees. India wasn’t the first country to go on a tree-planting journey. Prior to India’s ambitious pursuit, Pakistan held the record by planting just under 850,000 trees. While this isn’t a competition, a good way to beat the record is to get close to just as many people as the trees planted to plant trees. India has achieved their tree planting goals as they planted their hearts out and have been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. (I wonder who had the job of keeping track of the tree planting? I’m glad it wasn’t me.)

Committed to Change

It’s one thing to say something, but it’s an entirely different thing to keep your word. This is exactly what India is doing in response to their pledge to enhance its forest cover, which will absorb about 3 billion tons of CO2 by 2030. This effort is covered further in depth by Down to Earth. The Logical Indian conveys that this effort falls in line with their pledge made at the Paris Climate Change Summit in 2015. At this summit they allocated $6.2 billion to improve green living by way of forestation.

Raising Awareness

Many people think that raising awareness has to be a grand gesture. It doesn’t really have to be. Granted this feat will go into the Guinness Book of World Records, the real win is for the community and environment. The goal didn’t come off as a stunt to get attention, but a grand gesture to gain support. I believe the idea is to encourage others to keep this momentum going. We can find an area and plant trees ourselves. I know earlier I said this isn’t a competition but the fact is challenges often get us going. It may be a major undertaking to try to outdo India, but if someone were up for it, it would be a great idea and benefit the earth. On the other hand, planting a tree or two without seeking to break a record would be just as helpful.

Read more articles about saving our planet with Meatless Mondays or the story about Smart Cities. How about making the Internet green? Share this article with a picture of a tree!