Protecting the World’s Forests – Law Firm and Tree Planters Join Forces for Good
Guest Post by: Job van Hooijdonk , co-founder of Regreener
There is nothing more important than the world’s forests. Together, they cover nearly a third of the Earth’s land surface and play an important role for every living creature on the planet. Forests provide us with timber and food, help to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, protect soil and protect rivers, and serve as a space for people to get close to nature. The forest sector generates jobs for approximately 33 million people, as more than half of the world’s economic production depends on ecosystem services provided by the forest. Because of our dependence to the forests, we must take action to manage forests sustainably. This is turn will help us to reduce deforestation, restore degraded landscapes, reduce carbon emissions, and help provide people with jobs and renewable material.
To raise awareness of the importance of forests around the world, the United Nations General Assembly has made March 21 the International Day of Forests. To celebrate this day, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national, and international efforts to organize activities that involve forests and trees, such as tree planting. For example, this year the city of Mombasa will plant 100 000 seedlings of Mangrove trees, Belgium will have forest walks and debates, and Europe and China have launched a #HugATree social media campaign.
The theme for the 2022 International Day of Forests is “Forests and sustainable production and consumption.” The theme is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests which is a voluntary inter-agency partnership of 15 international organization, institutions and secretariats who have substantial programmes on forests. Their vision is that by 2030, all types of forests and forest landscapes will be sustainably managed while recognizing their multiple values. They hope that the Global Forest Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals and other global forest-related goals and commitments will be achieved in this timeframe.
Regreener is a company that aims to help achieve these goals. The company offers opportunities for regular people to help restore ecosystems by planting trees, protect rainforests and support green projects. The approach is simple, people and businesses can offset their carbon emissions by signing up for a subscription or make a one-time contribution to plant trees and support development of carbon reduction technologies. Furthermore, Regreener puts a focus on integrating climate change into business models. The company recently built a Shopify app plugin that enables web shops to integrate carbon offsetting in an easy and transparent way. No matter which approach you choose, funds are used to support projects that make the biggest impact, and you can keep track of your contribution to the forest via a web based account portal.
The company started in 2021 and so far,:
- 105,236 trees have been planted
- 3,142.92 hectares of rainforest have been protected
- 8,750.51 tonnes of certified carbon have been compensated and,
- 8,419 working hours have been created for people planting trees and protecting forests.
And these numbers are increasing all the time.
In celebration of International Day of Forests, Regreener and international law firm Allen & Overy LLP have announced a partnership to realise a broader green impact. This partnership will help the law firm to contribute to the fight against climate change and meet their goal to reach a reduction of 50% of CO2 emissions by 2030. The partnership will also help support Regreener develop sustainable projects such as reforestation in Kenya and Mozambique as well as rainforest protection in Ecuador.
In a recent press release announcing this partnership, Paul Huisman, Head of Business Services at Allen & Overy Netherlands said “the partnership with Regreener is a promising step for A&O to show what measures we take to reduce our carbon footprint. Regreener enables us to show our colleagues what A&O is doing in terms of green impact on a monthly basis”. Additionally, Job van Hooijdonk, the co-founder of Regreener stated “we are delighted that Regreener is now regreening the world with Allen & Overy, one of the world’s leading law firms. The focus of our cooperation will be on the actual green impact realised”.
This cooperation matches the ambitions of both organizations to take responsibility in the fight against climate change.
As we celebrate International Day of the Forests, it is reassuring and uplifting that there are efforts made by organizations to help protect our forests, ecosystems, and biodiversity not just in our backyards but in areas all around the world.
