What do a tour operator, a kitchen supplier, car manufacturer and a marketeer and distributor of consumer electronics have in common ?

They have all connected the number of products sold to a number of trees to be planted :

One tree for every Green Seat sold (Tourvest Destination Management), every spare car part manaufactured (Iveco), every kitchen installed (Interno) and 156 (small) consumer electronics distributed (Green Meets Africa).

GREEN MEETS AFRICA

As Green Meets Africa writes :

“We are deeply honored and proud to be members of the South African Reforestation Trust. Our membership signifies more than just an affiliation; it represents our unwavering commitment to the restoration and preservation of our country’s precious forests. By working hand in hand with this esteemed organization, we are taking proactive steps to ensure a greener and more sustainable future for South Africa.

We supply environmentally friendly consumer products with minimized packaging. We have partnered with the SA Forest Trust and pledge that for every 156 items we sell, we will plant a tree.

Be part of the solution, not part of the pollution. Being green is more than just buying ‘eco’. It is an unshakable commitment to a sustainable lifestyle. Do your little bit of good where you are; those little bits of good put together overwhelm the world. Forests are the lungs of our land.”

To date Green Meets Africa has contributed over 300 trees to the reforestation sites in the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy and in the Platbos Forest Reserve.  https://greenmeetsafrica.com/green-meets-africa-goes-greener/ 

IVECO SA

IVECO SA (Pty) ltd., manufacturer of Trucks, has a continuous campaign promoting sustainable, cost-effective spare parts :

“IVECO-Reman” -NATURALLY Powerful, ENVIRONMENTALLY Friendly-.

Iveco writes : “Iveco parts are now even greener thanks to our reforestation project. For every Reman part sold, we will plant a tree in partnership with SAReforest“. IVECO Reman parts are remanufactured using some stringent environmentally friendly processes that ensure high quality, costs-effective parts for your vehicle that run like new.”

To date, Iveco has planted over 700 trees.

https://www.iveco.com/SouthAfrica/Special-Offers/Pages/aftermarket-reman.aspx

TOURVEST DESTINATION MARKETING

Tourvest Destination Marketing is one of SAReforest’s oldest partners. The Green Seat program was implemented in 2012 to offer the Tourvest clients products that care for the planet, its people, its nature and its wildlife.

Being in Tourism, Tourvest deeply realizes that in their industry, there should be a clear focus on on our natural resources including our wildlife and our indigenous forests.

Green Seat donations are divided between the Endangered Wildlife Trust, African Home-Community Upliftment Project and the South African Reforestation Trust.

To date Tourvest has donated 3465 trees to several reforestation sites of SAReforest.

https://www.tourvestdm.com/sustainability/green-seat/

INTERENO

Kitchen manufacturer INTERENO has committed to plant a tree for every kitchen installed.

Intereno considers it very important to help to support the environment as an integral part of their business. By making kitchens, Intereno helps SAReforest to rehabilitate and expand woodlands in South Africa.

To date, Intereno has planted almost 5000 trees in the oldest reforestation site of SAReforest : Gerswolde in Farm 215 – Nature Reserve, part of the Walkerbay Protected Environment of the Walkerbay Fynbos COnservancy.

In Dutch : https://www.intereno.nl/wie-zijn-wij/co2-compensatie/

Every year, Intereno takes out a few selected clients to visit South Africa and -especually- their forest.

861 trees have been planted through the campaign of the Women Presidents’ Organisation

The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) is the ultimate affiliation for successful women entrepreneurs worldwide. There are currently 137 chapters worldwide. Each chapter of 20, serves as a peer advisory group based on the four C’s of the WPO: Collaboration, Confidentiality, Commitment and Connections.

The WPO “Plant a Forest” campaign was launched by WPO South Africa in support of SAReforest. 861 trees were planted on the special WPO Reforest site on Kein River Cheese Farm along the Klein River near Stanford in the Western Cape’s Southern Overberg. The Klein River Cheese Farm is a long-standing partner of SAReforest.

Embracing their WPO mantra of “Reaching Farther. Together” , the WPO’s campaign has had a significantl impact on the project, has supported Overberg conservation and actively invested in the tomorrow of this pristine region.

This is how the WPO communicated the importance of reforestation through their campaign  :

Trees restore ecologies. Careful and well planned re-establishment of indigenous trees results in sustainable conservation. Threatened species have a better chance of survival and entire eco-systems revive and become sustainable. Businesses who believe in sustainability, contributes to a triple bottom line, do so as more than an environmental gesture—it makes long-term economic sense.

Why is Planting Trees a Necessity?

Planting a tree is a good idea, but planting an indigenous tree as a component of a natural forest within a planned area, has the added benefit of creating a safe habitat for natural wildlife, supporting entire eco-systems, while giving clean air, protection, food and support to the smallest and biggest of living plants, insects, animals and humans.

Economic Sense – Trees Make Economic Cents

Besides preserving ecosystems, trees provide numerous services vital to our communities which can be equated to Rands and cents. Sadly, these monetary benefits are often overlooked when evaluating the worth of urban “green” infrastructure.

Economic sense – “deforestation is rarely in the economic interest of the country concerned. More often it is due to a combination of bad policies, population growth and poverty. In some parts of the world, such as the highlands of Bolivia, Peru and Nepal, and in the countryside surrounding many fast-growing cities in Africa, trees are lost because the poor use wood for fuel.” THE ECONOMIST

The WPO South Africa has left a living legacy !