Startup Fortune, May 13, 2020 – Influencers have been getting a bad rap lately. In the era of COVID-19, some influencers have been labeled as self-serving ‘covid-iots’ who are out-of-touch with current world events.
That assessment certainly doesn’t describe all influencers, though, as some social media stars are using their platforms to make the world a better place.
More than 600 micro-influencers recently teamed up to help the social enterprise, Replant Amazon, with their initiative to plant 12,000 trees around the world. The initiative is a worthy beginning to Replant Amazon’s lofty goal of planting a billion trees by 2022, which would go a long way toward safeguarding our atmosphere.
The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most important areas on planet Earth. The millions of trees there create a large portion of the world’s oxygen, which is why clear cutting in the Amazon is a danger to our continued existence as a species. Replant Amazon, buoyed by influencer platform Shop and Shout, seeks to replant the lost trees.
Replant Amazon founders, Bala Krishnan and Thiru Arunachalam, explain their mission, “Our mission is to take massive action against climate change and we want to do what other environmentalists haven’t been able to do yet. Our goal: to plant 1 billion trees by 2022.”
Replant Amazon uses the Miyawaki method when it comes to tree planting. That method ensures dense forest growth that takes place 10 times faster than natural growth. It also creates forests that are up to 30 times denser than forests that grow naturally. The method focuses heavily on trees and plants that are native to the area.
Planters take saplings of five native trees that are between 2 and 4 feet in height and plant them in strategic patterns in the land to be reforested. After planting, the new forest requires tender loving care for about three years. After that, it will have re-established itself to the point that it will be self-sustaining.
By focusing on the Miyawaki method, Replant Amazon hopes its goal of 1 billion trees is attainable sooner rather than later. Planting such a large number of trees would put a noticeable dent in climate change. The best part is that planting trees is among the cheapest ways to fight such change.
Both Shop and Shout and Replant Amazon urge people beyond the 600 influencers to join in their quest to save the planet. More information about planting a tree can be found on the Replant Amazon website.
