Conscious Shopping's Commitment to Reforestation
Conscious Shopping has the intention to help make the world a better place and as a starting point will plant one tree for every single product purchased though our store, turning profits into forests!
Reforestation is now a crucial issue since deforestation has resulted in a large loss of biodiversity and soil erosion around the world. With this in mind, we have joined forces with the forestry and sustainable agricultural non-profit Eden Reforestation Projects to help solve this issue and be solutionaries.
With the help of local communities, Eden Forestation Projects plants and cares for trees in nations including Haiti, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Kenya, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Philippines, Honduras and Brazil.
To ensure the success of the reforestation effort, this organization not only offers the seeds and tools required, but also trains and hires locals. As a result, the Eden Projects contribute to the development of the economy, the enhancement of the environment, and the monetary support of struggling communities.
Conscious Shopping selected Nepal to help reforest for a number of reasons.
- Less than 30% of Nepal's forests still exist today, and the local populace is suffering greatly as a result of this environmental destruction.
- Nepal is one of the least developed nations in the world, and relies on the environment for food, shelter, and money. As a result of over-harvesting, forest fires, and agriculture, less than 30% of its natural forests are present today. The local residents and wildlife are severely impacted by this, as 81% of the population in Nepal live in rural areas.
- Women make up more than half of the workforce that has been employed by Eden Projects, and for many of them, this is their first chance at stable employment. These women are combating gender inequality in their country by running nurseries and sowing seeds. So far, over 380 local community members have been empowered with fair wages.
- To date, there have been 12 million+ trees produced, planted, and protected and we want to be part of the partnership to keep this going and help increase those numbers
- There are currently 27 mammals on the endangered species list which call Nepal's forests their home.
National Director Rachhya's Story - Why this inspiring woman is planting millions of trees in Nepal with Eden Reforestation Project.
FAQs
This is a fair concern and here is what is being done to mitigate this:
- The partners of Eden Forestation Projects work carefully with all levels of government to secure written agreements designating the restoration sites as protected in perpetuity.
- They hire people from local communities to plant trees. In this way, extreme poverty is reduced within the impacted community. Fair and consistent employment provides an economic incentive to ensure the well-being of the restoration project. Additionally, those who plant the trees have a sense of “ownership” over the restored forests, so they protect them with great care, ensuring more trees survive past the critical initial stage of growth.
- A percentage of the trees planted are agroforestry species (fruit & fodder species designed to provide food security and benefit legitimate human needs). Over time, these trees become a source of sustainable income.
- They do everything possible to supply the local communities with alternative fuel sources (e.g., fuel-efficient dry wood stoves and solar parabolic stoves), as well as reducing and/or eliminating the dependence on charcoal.
- They hire forest guards as part of the labor force to protect the forests. Forest guards are included in the overall budget.
- Most significantly, we have seen the local communities fall in love with their forest. They benefit from the restored forest through an increase in fisheries, improved farming, cleaner water, and the formation of micro-enterprises. As the employees work to restore their land, their lives are transformed as well.
- Eden has also created a Forest Guard Endowment Fund, where one cent of the price of each tree is put into a fund for the long-term guarding and protection of the tree growth sites.
While there is certainly a need for reforestation all over the world, we chose Nepal for many reasons, including:
- Deforestation has led to less than 30% of Nepal being forested.
- Nepal is one of the least-developed countries in the world, yet is highly reliant on its environment.
- Woman face major gender inequality and lack access to most forms of employment.
- 27 mammals in Nepal who call the nation's forests their home are endangered species.
All images on this page are offical photos taken from the Eden Reforestation Project - Nepal.
For more information on this project, please click here
1st March - 18th September 2023
