Why We’re Planting Trees

Woman sitting on a log in a rainforest, holding a bottle of Waiakea water

We are proud to share that Waiakea has turned its apparel line into an ethical endeavor through a partnership with Eden Projects. When you purchase a piece of Waiakea apparel, we plant five trees on your behalf in Haiti, Madagascar, Ethiopia, or Nepal.

To understand why we chose to plant trees, we must look at the destructive impact of deforestation from a holistic perspective. Trees control flooding and erosion, protect water sources, purify air supply by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, replenish soil with critical nutrients needed for farming, and create habitable ecosystems for animals. Without trees, farms fail, causing villagers to flee to overcrowded cities in search of work where they often resort to selling themselves or their families into slavery just to survive. In the absence of trees, running bodies of water dry up, ultimately eliminating the natural water sources for local communities that are essential to life. The cycle of deforestation is a mixture of societal decline, negative environmental impact, and negative human impact. Through reforestation, we are not only helping to restore natural habitats, but also combating extreme poverty by constantly employing local villagers to plant millions of trees every year.

With all of that said, we now want to share some statistics provided by Eden Projects that exemplify the dire need to assist in reforestation across the globe:

  • 98% of Ethiopia’s forested areas have been destroyed in the last 50 years
  • A mere 10% of Madagascar’s original forests remain today
  • Only 2% of Haiti’s land is forested today

Reforestation alone has the potential to alleviate a variety of problems communities around the world face, ultimately causing societal lift while positive environmental and human impact. Want to help incite positive change by planting trees? You can do so by purchasing a piece of Waiakea apparel here, or by donating directly to Eden Projects using this link.

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