A conversation with the founder of JUST ONE Tree

In April 2019, climate change hit the news headlines with a real bang. I had always believed climate change existed but had never understood the urgency. I found myself looking at my then 2-year-old daughter and feeling terrified for her future. But I didn’t know what I could do, a mum from High Barnet, that would even begin to make an impact.

Then I discovered how cheap it was to plant a tree and it got me thinking with 10 million children in education in the UK alone, what if every parent planted 1 tree for each of their children? With 5.9 million businesses, what if a tree was planted with every property sold or meal out? individually £1 is such a small amount, but collectively it would really quickly add up. We could be the ones driving change and having an incredible impact on the climate crisis, simply by joining together.

That’s why I set up JUST ONE Tree, to provide a place where individuals, schools and businesses can come together and take collective action against climate change, because it’s together that we achieve so much more. In fact, Howard Zinn once wrote “small acts when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” That’s what JUST ONE Tree is all about.

Our ultimate aim is to fight climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and reversing biodiversity loss through planting trees around the world. But we’re not just a reforestation company, we have 3 core pillars that we focus on: restoration on land, in the oceans and bringing environmental education to the next generations.

As well as planting trees, we’re addressing the issues our oceans are facing through planting mangroves and through kelp regeneration. We’re also helping to educate our young people through our environmental resources which are used in conjunction with our annual non-uniform event in schools – JUST ONE Tree Day. It’s a fun and educational day which unites children, parents and teachers across the UK and beyond in a day to reforest the planet.

In a little over 3 years, we’ve planted 2.4 million trees.

We plant our trees in 8 countries close to the equator where we can have the greatest positive effect on limiting global warming – Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, Indonesia, Nepal, Kenya, Haiti, Zambia and then our kelp regeneration projects are taking place off the coast of The Philippines and Australia.

In the process, we’re helping to alleviate extreme poverty by providing agricultural education, training and sustainable incomes to local community members. In this way we’re also preventing further deforestation, by shifting their dependence from the destruction of their forests, to one of restoration.

Fighting climate change is at the heart of what we do. We’re in a climate emergency. So, we plant our trees where they will have the greatest effect on limiting global warming. There are a number of reasons that planting closer to the equator is better for example:

Trees grow faster in these climates, so they have a higher rate of carbon absorption

We can plant trees such as mangroves which absorb high amounts of carbon

the Albedo effect – trees are darker in colour, naturally trapping in heat, so we plant close to the equator where it’s meant to be warmer. For example, planting boreal trees in the northern hemisphere which are dark in colour would be no good as it would trap in the sun’s heat rather than it being reflected off the snow, ultimately making the planet warmer. Also in tropical forests, where the trees grow faster and have access to nutrient rich soil, they have a high rate of evaporation, forming clouds, which also helps to reflect the suns heat away from the planet.

The places where we plant are already feeling the effects of climate change and trees are the ultimate solution to these issues such as flooding and soil erosion.

We can have a social impact in the places we plant, helping to lift people out of poverty, which in turn prevents further deforestation

The pound goes a lot further, so we can plant 5,10,15,20 trees for every 1 tree that we could plant here.

Actually, I have two. The first one is the lilac tree in my garden, which makes me smile every spring with all it’s beautiful blossom. The second is the silver birch at my parent’s house. It’s seen me and my brother grow up and use it as a cricket post, and now it’s seen my daughter grow up too.

It will be a mixture of projects. Some of your trees will be planted in Kenya, the first project is near Mount Kenya itself where they will be helping to expand wildlife corridors, help replenish the streams / rivers which feed into Nairobi and also have a positive social impact on the local communities. The second project is in Kenyan schools, where children will adopt the trees and learn how to care for them throughout their school life. They’ll learn both the local and global importance of caring for their environment.

The next project will be Mozambique where again we’re having a social impact and also helping to create more habitat for wildlife species such as elephants, which in turn reduces the conflict between man and these amazing animals.

In Madagascar, we’ll be planting Mangroves for you, where they will be helping to prevent soil erosion whilst having a positive impact on marine life.

Yes, I have to say I’ve got a little sweet spot for the Mushroom and Spinach Kyiv. Mushroom and spinach are my favourite veggies, so these really hit the spot for me.

Without a shadow of a doubt! From the land used for cattle and growing their feed to the methane they produce; the meat industry is a major contributor to deforestation and climate change. Moving to a plant-based diet is a reality we must all adopt. But that doesn’t mean we all have to become vegans. In fact, if we swapped just one red meat to plant-based meal a week, we’d reduce the UK’s carbon emissions by a staggering 8.4%.

The honest truth is, Yes and No. The clock is ticking. This summer’s heatwaves and seeing one third of Pakistan underwater is an alarming reminder that climate change has serious and far-reaching implications. What’s scary is that we’re only at 1.1 degrees of global warming, what’s life going to be like when we go above 1.5, 2 or even 3 degrees?

On the flip side, what really gives me hope is this amazing wave of people, businesses and NGOs that now exists and is growing every day. I find it exciting to think of the future that we could be living in, and I count myself so lucky to have met the most amazing people through JUST ONE Tree as we work together to make that future a reality.