GIFT A TREE
This Holiday Season

Gift

ONE TREE PLANTED.ORG

Tree Certificate

One Tree Planted.org helps with sustainability and reforestation on our planet by planting trees!

Since the holiday giving season is upon us, this organization has suggested eleven reasons to gift a tree for the holidays. Here is why and how...

Eleven Reasons to
Gift a Tree Planted in Nature
for the Holidays

Gift a Tree

The season of giving is upon us! And while love and generosity are among the things that make the holidays so special, our daily routines and even holiday traditions come with an environmental cost.

When it comes to gifts, sometimes we're lucky enough to get something we really want and will use for a long time, but how often does that really happen? Most gifts just end up sitting around collecting dust, are returned, or thrown away within a year. While half of returns are re-shelved to be resold, some 5 billion pounds of returned goods end up in landfills, equivalent to the trash produced by 5 million Americans, and the returns process accounts for 1.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel and 15 million metric tons of CO2.

Yikes. That's A LOT of waste in a short amount of time. Luckily, there are ways to break the vicious wasteful cycle.

As an eco-friendly alternative or complement to other gifts, you can make a donation to plant trees on behalf of someone you love! through One Tree Planted.org. Your sustainable gift can come with a custom Tree Certificate or card, and you'll rest easy knowing you've given a waste-free gift that will benefit nature for a lifetime.

Here are 11 reasons to gift a tree planted in nature for the holidays:

1. It is a Unique Gift

For the most part, we can all predict what everyone is getting for Christmas this year. Whether it's the latest gadgets, socks, or new gear. Planting a tree is different and makes us recall fond memories of enjoying the outdoors. Plant trees for your bestie, grandma, the person who has everything, or the nature-lover. They will love the thoughtful gesture.

2. Good for the Environment

There are a ton of ways trees benefit the environment, much more so than the last-minute gift you found on sale that will get little use. And this kind of gift will reduce your carbon footprint since you won't have to have it shipped!

3. Will Last a Lifetime

The gift that keeps on giving! A tree is truly an investment that will return benefits for years to come. Every year your loved one can look back and smile as they think about how their tree is growing and helping all who surround it. And you can follow our many reforestation stories online to learn about the individual impact of different projects.

4. Give Animals a Home

A tree is a gift for our furry, winged, and scaly friends too! 80% of the world's known terrestrial plant and animal species can be found in forests. One tree alone can be home to hundreds of living things! Just think about all the birds, insects, and mammals that will have a place to live thanks to the trees you've helped to plant.

Home for Animals

5. Clean the Air

Trees filter the air we breathe, produce oxygen, and remove carbon and harmful particles from the atmosphere. The World Health organization says that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants, but trees can help improve air quality!

6. Benefit Future Generations

Young people today are increasingly concerned about how our changing climate will affect their future. By planting a tree, you are taking positive action for future generations to come. We can reduce the effects of climate change one tree at a time.

7. Help End Hunger

Trees can produce nutritious food for people in need, as well as food that can be sold. They can also restore degraded lands so that farmers can gradually increase crop yields, protect surrounding land to reduce damaging erosion and landslides, and help the ground retain more water so that there is more available for food to grow. With healthier food systems as a result of trees, communities also have improved health, jobs, and economic stability.

Fruits from Trees

8. Keep People Safe

Trees offer a lot of protection when natural disasters occur, like flooding and landslides. Their intricate root systems act like filters by slowing down the water’s absorption into the ground. According to the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations, a mature evergreen tree can intercept more than 15,000 liters of water every year.

9. Save Money

Planting a tree with One Tree Planted is not very expensive, just $1/1 tree! So you can plant as many as you'd like, whether it's just one tree or a small forest. You can save a lot of money this year by gifting trees to the whole family.

10. Reduce Waste

Think of all the time you will save by not having to wrap a bunch of presents! You'll also cut back on the materials and wrapping paper you would've had to use. If every American family wrapped just three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields! And that's not even mentioning the avoided waste of unwanted or unused gifts.

Wasted Paper

11. You Can't Go Wrong!

It is the worst when you get something for someone, and they don't like it. But who doesn't like trees? Or how about the hassle it causes when a gift doesn't fit, and you have to beat the crowds to return it! That problem doesn't exist when a tree is your gift! It's planted in the great outdoors providing decades if not centuries of ecological value even after you've forgotten all about it.

WANT MORE INFO?

Are you ready to get a head start on your holiday shopping and gift your trees?

One Tree Planted.org has reforestation projects all over the world where you can choose to have your trees planted. You can also customize your gift with a personal e-card or tree certificate that can be delivered right to the person you choose and be finished in minutes!

Still want to plant trees AND purchase some cool stuff? The unique eco-friendly gift guide has all the gift ideas you need to check off your list and remain sustainable for the holidays!