When the power of social media is used for good! In just two months, a crowdfunded initiative has raised enough money to plant 20 million trees!
Global – TeamTrees is a 2019 collaborative fundraiser that has managed to raise more than $20 million (R280 million) before 2020 to plant 20 million trees. The initiative was started by American YouTubers MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) and Mark Rober and was mostly supported by YouTubers.
“TeamTrees, we did it! Twenty million trees – in less than two months – is an incredible accomplishment, and it belongs to all of us. Whether you donated, created content, or simply told your friends about TeamTrees, this win is yours. Remember this feeling when you have a goal that people tell you isn’t realistic. Remember this when you need some hope. Remember that TeamTrees started from zero. Right now, celebrate! Twenty million more trees will live on the earth because of us, TeamTrees. The Arbor Day Foundation will plant and care for them. Each of those trees is a step forward.”
The idea started on May 24, 2019, when a fan suggested on Reddit that MrBeast should plant 20 million trees to celebrate reaching 20 million subscribers on YouTube. The idea spread across YouTube, Reddit, and Twitter, mostly in the form of memes.
American YouTuber, engineer, and inventor Mark Rober partnered directly with Donaldson to launch the fundraiser, and on October 25, 2019, Donaldson uploaded a YouTube video explaining his plan, which claimed the top spot on YouTube’s trending page, and numerous YouTubers have joined the movement.
Notable YouTubers who have donated include PewDiePie, Rhett & Link, Marshmello, iJustine, Marques Brownlee, The Slow Mo Guys, Ninja, Simone Giertz, Jacksepticeye, Smarter Every Day, Simply Nailogical, The King of Random, The Try Guys, Alan Becker, Alan Walker, TheOdd1sOut, Linus Tech Tips, Jeffree Star and Jaiden Animations. Entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, Tobias Lütke, Marc Benioff, Susan Wojcicki, Jack Dorsey and Jean-Michel Lemieux have also donated and promoted the campaign.
All donations go to the Arbor Day Foundation, a tree-planting organisation that pledges to plant one tree for every U.S. dollar donated. The Arbor Day Foundation plans to begin planting in January 2020 and end “no later than December 2022”. It is estimated that 20 million trees would take up 180 km2 (69 sq mi) of land, absorb around 1.6 million tons of carbon and remove 116 thousand tons of chemical air pollution from the atmosphere.
As of December 29, 2019, the project has raised over 20.8 million US dollars, surpassing the fundraiser’s goal to plant 20 million trees.
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