Today (22nd April) we marked Earth Day by planting the first tree in Traidcraft Exchange‘s new Plant an Acre initiative, a projects which aims to see many thousands of trees planted across the UK and Tanzania.
Traidcraft Exchange hope the initiative will bring Northeast charities, community groups and businesses together to raise £30,000 by June 7 in order to plant 632 acres of trees as part of their Regenerators project in coastal Tanzania. The trees will support poor communities whose livelihoods have been devastated by climate change to regenerate their land by planting fruit trees which will provide a sustainable livelihood for the future. Each donation of £50 will pay to plant a whole acre of trees.
“The climate crisis is happening now and those most vulnerable are being hit the hardest. Drought and flooding – desert summers and bitter winters – lightning strikes and river erosion mean the crops needed to feed families are failing. By using green technology and planting new, climate resistant trees to protect their land, communities can fight back against the climate crisis.” said Maveen Pereira, Director of Programmes at Traidcraft Exchange.
We’ve partnered with Traidcraft Exchange to offer sponsors the chance to plant a tree within the region in Heaton Park, as well as providing vital funding for the Plant an Acre initiative.
Our CEO, James Cross, took part in today’s tree planting to mark the start of the scheme and said: “Any community or business taking part can bring their staff to plant trees in Heaton Park to show their solidarity at an event we’ll be hosting later in the year.
“Climate change is a global crisis. What we do in the UK affects the very poorest on the other side of the world. Teaming up with Traidcraft Exchange on their Regenerators project means we can not only plant more trees in our beautiful parks in Newcastle and reduce carbon locally, but we can also support those in Tanzania whose crops have been devastated due to climate change.”
The project will work with vulnerable farmers, government officials, businesses and policy makers to build resilience to climate change through improving skills, supporting people in regenerating the land and improving livelihoods. This includes tree planting and supporting communities to diversify their incomes in climate friendly ways, through producing honey, vegetables, poultry, sunflowers and fruit trees, and supporting renewable energy initiatives and use of appropriate technology.
Traidcraft Exchange’s sister business, Gateshead-based ethical retailer and pioneer of fair trade, Traidcraft, are the first business to pledge their support.
Traidcraft spokesperson Jude Allen said: “We’ve pledged to raise £4000 to plant 80 acres of trees. This is an initiative which gives us, as a business, the opportunity to add to our commitment to fight back against climate change while supporting producers. It’s also a great way to support our sister charity and get staff involved in something so positive coming out of lockdown.”
Traidcraft Exchange’s Regenerators project is part of UK Aid Match. Donations to the project made by community groups or individuals by June 7th can be doubled by the UK government to help the most vulnerable stand strong in the face of climate change.