When we could go to mass gatherings, some of the Curlicue team attended Wilderness Festival, where the topic for 2019 was Climate Change. Activists, economists, scientists, lecturers and philosophers took to the stage and discussed the climate crisis. During the Q&A, this question was asked to a panelist: ‘What is the best thing we can do for the planet?’ The answer: ‘Plant trees.’

We’re so excited to have partnered up with TreeApp this week - the app where you can plant a tree a day. In light of this great partnership, we’re highlighting some of the ways you can easily contribute to planting trees worldwide. 

Why Plant Trees?

The world’s population is rapidly increasing, and with that, our food needs increase. Mass industrial agriculture has caused mass deforestation across the globe alongside high consumption of ‘throwaway’ furniture and our fast-paced consumer lifestyles. 

Trees are essential for the human race’s survival. Trees are the biggest plant on the planet and provide us with oxygen (so we can, you know, breathe), store carbon, stabilise the soil and create habits and sustenance for ecosystems and wildlife. 

TreeApp 

The fantastic team at TreeApp want to plant millions of trees every day - a noble ambition! They know it’s a challenge, but they are determined to try. Working worldwide, TreeApp plants native tree species to the areas that they are working in - ensuring they are preserving the ecosystem, not damaging it. 

‘Our partners mostly plant dry deciduous trees and mangroves, but over 150 species are planted throughout all our projects. We also have monthly reviews with each reforestation project leader to ensure the trees we are planting are adapted and adequate to their respective environment.’

TreeApp works with NGOs who operate worldwide and can act on the simple taps you make in the app. 

So what does the app do?

TreeApp works with eco-friendly and eco-conscious companies (just like us), and you can plant one tree a day (or more if you choose to pay for them) by simply viewing a few adverts. Easy peasy. You can even pick where you plant the trees. 

Download the TreeApp and get planting!

Ecosia

Google is a thing of the past! Ecosia is a search engine that has planted over 125 million trees worldwide, particularly in Africa, South America and Indonesia. 

Ecosia can be installed as a chrome extension, so it automatically becomes your search engine. Ecosia profits from every search you make through adverts. When you browse through Ecosia, you may notice that your first responses will be adverts - that’s how they make money to fund a tree.

There are so many fantastic projects that Ecosia are supporting—from chimpanzee habitat in Uganda, planting trees to support the land and communities in Burkina Faso and attempting to heal the devastation of Palm Oil harvesting in Indonesia.

Dedicate a Tree

While the above will cost you nothing but time, you can also buy a tree as a gift and dedicate it to a loved one. The National Forest is dedicated to restoring and rejuvenating native forest landscapes and promoting farming and rural businesses. 

Since the 1990s, the National Forest service has transformed 200 square miles of the Midlands by planting 8.9 million trees and increasing forest cover from 6% to more than 20%.

You can purchase a sapling to be planted in a woodland habit, either just for yourself or as a gift for someone else. Your dedication tree comes complete with a personalised certificate that you can gift. You can even select the type of tree you’d like to plant from Oak, Lime, Hazel, Silver Birch, Rowan and Wild Cherry. 

You can learn more here. 

Make a Difference

There are so many projects supporting tree planting around the world, especially in the southern hemisphere, where western needs have devastated the landscape. Do an Ecosia search to find more ways to help, and you’re already making a difference!

Buying Recycled Materials

As creators of a paper product, we were adamant not to add to deforestation in any way at Curlicue. It wasn’t enough for our wrapping paper to be recyclable (that’s why you won’t find glitter on our paper), but it had to be made from recyclable materials. 

That’s why our wrapping paper is eco-friendly and, little by little, we aim to be a fully reusable product. We have many plans on the horizon for how we can create products that you can reuse and will still look beautiful. If you want to keep up to date with our latest blogs and products, sign up for our newsletter here. 

You can shop all of our beautiful eco-friendly, vegan wrapping paper here.