One Tree Planted
reached our biggest milestone yet. 100 million trees
planted around the world. But how do we do it? How did one tree become 100 million? Meet Matt Hill, the founder and chief environmental
optimist of One Tree Planted. In 2014, Matt was working for a sustainable
packaging company. He noticed a remarkable growing desire
among brands and individuals to make a positive impact
on the environment. But many of them didn't know
where to start. This got Matt thinking, How can we create
an accessible way to make a difference? We can drive less and walk more. We can buy sustainable goods, recycle, eat less meat,
and sign petitions for the environment. All of these things matter. But what can we put into the world to make it a better place? It all started with one tree. Just one tree
produces shade, food and oxygen. One tree creates
habitat and contributes to our ecosystem. One tree can change the world
for the better. So Matt launched One Tree
Planted with the simple idea that $1 plants one tree. And why stop at just one Matt traveled the world for two years talking about One Tree Planted’s vision
all while teaching marketing in Montreal. Shaping the mission from his classroom
and putting together our team. We held our first event
with our first ever partner, L'Oreal, and shortly
after started working with our first ever planting
partner, Zanzibar, a reforestation organization focused on wildfire recovery
in British Columbia. After some big firsts with a small
but determined team, Matt was ready to focus on One Tree
Planted full time. We took our small nonprofit
to a powerful network of environmentally driven individuals planting
partners, communities and businesses who shared our vision
for protecting our planet. In 2018,
we had our first major milestone From 1 million
to 100 million, here's a look at what we've been up to. In Costa Rica’s iconic OSA peninsula. We've planted trees to restore populations of endangered tree
species, create climate corridors, and establish sustainable
agroforestry for local communities. We've repaired riparian areas in the Pacific Northwest
to restore habitat for the Chinook salmon, a critical food source of the endangered
southern resident orca. In Rwanda, we've supported women's empowerment
by working with smallholder farmers to create economic opportunity
through coffee trees. We partnered with Global Forest Generation
to support Accion Andina, the first multi-country grassroots
initiative to restore the high altitude native
forests of South America's high Andes. We've planted trees across Australia
to restore critical habitat corridors for iconic wildlife and promote healthy bushfire recovery. In collaboration with Plant With Purpose, We supported the Thailand
hill tribes to plant trees and restore degraded farmland
for greater security and income. We helped grow and restore vital
nesting grounds for Eastern migratory monarch butterflies in central Mexico. Through Terrafund for AFR100. we are supporting AFR100 in its
critical work of restoring landscapes across the diverse continent of Africa. Each project with a unique story to tell. We've planted trees
across the Amazon River Basin to restore degraded land and connect ecosystems
from forest to coast. Our urban forestry program is growing
rapidly, planting trees to reduce urban heat, increase access to green spaces
and protect clean air and water. As fans ourselves, we are firm believers
in the incredible power of sports; leagues, teams, athletes and venues have been using their platforms
to plant trees for every broken stick, stolen base and winning race. We've supported all of our six pillars from air quality in Chicago to watersheds
in California, to biodiversity in Brazil's Atlantic forest
and social impact in Guatemala, to planting fruit trees in India
to help alleviate hunger and poverty and making a positive impact
for our climate across the globe. We've planted trees
with some of the coolest partners in the world, with powerhouses like the
United States Forest Service and Cal Fire and in some of the coolest parts
of the world. Planting trees for platypuses
and in Dragons Nest. We found some pretty creative ways of
getting 100 million trees in the ground, thanks to you. You've helped to plant more than 10,000
trees with our reforestation T-shirt. You fundraised at the Cape Town Marathon
and at New York Climate Week. You planted trees for chimpanzees,
with Jane Goodall answered Trevor Noah's Call to action Please consider supporting an organization
called One Tree Planted Peed in the bush with Bush Light and planted trees
with your ticket to Coldplay's tour. Pretty damn cool. You didn't stop there. Over the years, more than 50,000 of
you came out to community planting events to volunteer
where you live, work, learn and play. Our team got our hands in the dirt
with you at Forest Fest too in sun and snow. And we do it all over again. From our urban forests and community events,
to our 854 plants and partners. Our 724 Reforestation projects
across 79 countries, 100 million trees. It's hard for us to grasp
100 million trees, all because of you. The state of the world
can feel overwhelming, especially in the face
of the climate crisis. There is still so much work to be done,
but we believe that our future is bright and green. We are planting these trees with you for
our community, our climate and our future. Individually, we're just people with hope. But together we're a global movement
with the power to change the world. We planted 100 million trees with you
and together we're going to do it again. It all started with one goal. It all started with one tree.
