Why Get Involved?
Whether you're an individual, a school, or a company,
there's plenty of reasons to get involved with MTP!
Fight Desertification
Without the protection of plants, land will quickly lose its vegetative cover and nutrients. Planting trees or shrubs, along with constructing straw grids, helps to retain soil moisture, fix sand, slow down wind speed, and reduce erosion and dust storms. It can also alleviate soil salinization and degradation, making the land fertile once again.
Reduce air pollution
Everyone has an individual carbon footprint, generated by everyday activities from driving a car to turning on the lights, and a social responsibility to try their best to reduce or offset that carbon involvement. Getting involved with the Million Tree Project can help offset your carbon footprint, since plants can sequester carbon, taking it out of the atmosphere and combating global warming in the process. Plants also remove dust and other pollutants from the air we breathe, helping to alleviate air pollution.
Exercise Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporations contribute much more to climate change than individuals, because of activities like air travel or manufacturing—just 100 corporations are responsible for 71% of the world's total emissions. In recent years many corporations have started to recognize their social responsibility to both reduce and offset their emissions. Choosing to offset excess emissions through the Million Tree Project sends a strong message that this enterprise cares about environmental protection. Our corporate sponsors receive GPS coordinates, planting reports, and progress photos for their company forests.
Restore Biodiversity
Plants provide shelter and habitat for 79% of land species. When soil turns to sand, the dry and sandy layer prevents new life from growing and sustaining ecosystems. Tree-planting provides shade, food sources, and habitats for millions of plant and animal species.
Support Local Communities
Desertification is one of the causes of poverty in northern China. For example, Kulun Qi has experienced a steady economic decline in the years following environmental degradation, which caused reduced crop yields and grassland productivity, reduced water levels in wells, diminished water quality, and an increased cost of irrigation. In addition, a rising frequency of dust storms has removed the fertile topsoil, while sand continually blasts the crops. Furthermore, desertification leads to displacement of communities, who must flee their native lands and migrate to cities.
By getting involved in the Million Tree Project, you can help local people preserve their communities, avoid poverty and improve their living environments.
