Projects
Major Payback Projects - 2010
We undertake many partnership projects of varying sizes, from large scale utility projects through renewables to small and medium scale reforestation projects. Currently we have six major projects and many smaller, developing pilots and research programs.
We provide ongoing agroforestry training and seed distribution for our smaller projects but usually have limited in-country presence, working primarily by supporting our local partners and community leaders, developing mutually rewarding relationships, a number of these smaller programs and pilots will grow into major projects within the coming years.
Do you know of an interesting project that you think deserves our attention?
Senegal Project - Kaffrine - In Progress
Our project in Senegal is now rapidly growing and diversifying. As more and more people see the value of agroforestry techniques, communities are establishing multipurpose live fences and windbreaks to have a reliable source of fuelwood, improve their soil, feed their animals, and sustainably expand their lucrative vegetable production. Based out of the town of Kaffrine, which is a semi-arid zone facing desertification. Starting in 2006 our partners with our help have built a regional training center which was opened in early 2007. Previously, our representative traveled from village to village on a horse cart. The new training center allows interested farmers in the region to contact our representative directly, see demonstration plots and arrange the distribution of agroforestry seeds and seedlings. Work has begun with the cultivation of Jatropha, a high-yielding drought tolerant plant that is being used to produce biofuels. His work has attracted the attention of the Senegalese President, whose advisors on alternative energy recently took notice of the work with Jatropha and helped to bring it to international attention. We have been training communities in soil conservation techniques, agroforestry, forestry and tree propagation. We have helped to plant over 350,000 trees to date through our partnerships.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Senegal Project
India Projects - Tamil Nadu, Anantapur, Lalgudi and Madurai - In Progress
Our main partners in India is the Green Tree Foundation, based in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh as well as Trees For The Future who had developed a strong network of potential partners over many years. All project participants have high aspirations for not only their own successes but also the success of the wider community. We have been working in the Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, with the Rural Development and Afforestation Society. One of the sub-projects is the reforestation of Honey Mountain, which is on the outskirts of the town of Tiruvannamalai. We are also involved in distributing seeds and information to other local non government organizations in the towns of Lalgudi and Madurai. We have helped established an in-country seed distribution network, thanks to the efforts of the VAIGAI river conservation society, as well as the Palini Hills Conservation Council, a local seed bank. Through this network, since 2006, over 1 million seeds of valuable agroforestry species have been distributed and over 700,000 trees have been planted in the region through these partnerships.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the India Projects
Ethiopia Project - Guraghe Zone - In Progress
Through our partnerships within India we were introduced to this project. Our work is concentrated in the Guraghe zone, located about 3 hours from Addis Ababa. Our primary partners are Trees For the Future and Greener Ethiopia, a local organization that has been active since 2000. Through agroforestry extension work, sustainable development projects, and women’s projects, we are helping to create a Green zone in the area.
Our project in Ethiopia has helped to distribute over 1.8 million seedlings since 2007 and plant more than 400,00. By the end of 2012, these communities will have planted a total of more than three million trees to address the serious environmental problems and to sustainably increase the productivity of local farmlands. Ethiopia is widely recognized for the severity of their erosion problems, caused by overgrazing and excessive deforestation.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Ethiopia Project
Mantis International - Texas - In Progress
In response to recent environmental disasters and ongoing pollution control for chemical and petrochemical spills, we are proud to have partnered with several key industry professionals to create a subsidiary company, Mantis International. Mantis focuses on all natural, 100% recycled bio-remediation solutions. Mantis’s patented products are the preferred solution for the United States Department of Agriculture and are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Mantis utilizes processes and absorbents for liquid spills and cleans up oil, fuels, chemicals, spilled paint and much, much more. Mantis’s processes and products are not only completely environmentally safe, they’ve also been proven effective on the toughest clean-up sites in the world, from the oil fields of Texas to the Middle East. More than just revolutionary products, Mantis provides turn-key, on-site environmental clean-up services.
Long Island Project - Long Island NY - In Progress
This small project has been developed with the help, cooperation and guidance of the local state department for the environment since early 2008. Our simple plan is to reforest a small opening of woodland in the upper East end of Long Island, which has been repeatedly cut down by local hunters to trap game. Through introductions made by local authorities, several small local environmental groups have volunteered to do the planting out and with our help. oversee the continued growth of the trees. The State’s mission is to involve local residents to further deter the hunters and preserve the woodland. We have a little over 4000 young seedlings in Northern NY State, in Saratoga, growing and getting ready for planting out in September / October 2010.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Long Island Project
Cameroon Project - South West Province - In Progress
Our partner organization in Cameroon, the Environmental and Rural Development Foundation, has discovered that the only way to protect wildlife is to secure the future of their ecosystem - and this can only be done by educating and mobilizing local communities to plant trees and adopt sustainable land management practices. Under our partners coordination, word is spreading quickly among local farmers that reforestation and agroforestry techniques are the solution to securing the future of the western highlands. Through agroforestry interventions since early 2008, our project in Cameroon is working to restore the degraded landscape of the south western highlands and to conserve its biodiversity, to date over 80,000 seedlings have been planted. In the years to come, local communities will also see economic benefits with the production of renewable fuel wood, native medicinal species, and potentially fruit bearing trees, not to mention increased ground water supplies.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Cameroon Project
Bio future Project - AZ, USA - In Progress
With the help of interested sponsors, local high schools and Arizona’s Department of Education, we have created an environmental challenge in the form of an inter-school competition to produce a winning design for a one acre bio farm that is self sustainable, produces a tangible commodity; trees, carbon negative food produce, algal bio-fuels, fertilizer, etc and is off the power grid. We believe that in order to be environmentally sustainable as a nation and be able to face inevitable future energy issues, we must educate our young men and women now from the ground up in imaginative ways to achieve this goal. To this end the competition will be launched in the second semester of 2010 State wide. Winning designs will be judged by local environmental representatives from a mixed background and built by us and our sponsors in an effort to show our youth that they can make a very real difference with their good ideas and hard work. Prizes are in the form of co-benefits to the school and scholarships to the members of the winning team as well as tie ins with local HR specialists.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the School Bio Farm Project
Geosolar Project - SW USA - In Development
The focus of this project is to create jobs in the South West by employing bundled Geothermal and Solar Technologies. Our focus is job creation especially in application to Schools, Universities, Cities, Counties and other Government owned facilities; with residential as a secondary phase. The overall mission is to create a large, private-sector infusion of capital into the region’s economy which will create new manufacturing jobs and stimulate existing manufacturing. The creation of new jobs will establish a new and viable industry in the state’s and region. From this we will help create a national / international public relations effort that will brand the South West as the place to find all things green from solar, wind, geothermal and other non-petroleum or coal based energy systems. This will be financed by the private sector primarily from Energy Savings and will serve as “The Model” for the Renewable Energy Industry.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Geosolar Project
Panama Project - Bocas Del Toro - In Development
We and our partners commenced operations in the Republic of Panama in at the beginning of this year. Project goals involved establishing in-country partnerships with agencies working on reforestation issues in Panama and laying the groundwork for potentially productive initiatives. Partnership efforts will continue to focus heavily on both the Community Environmental Conservation program and Panama Verde, a nationwide environmentally focused youth group. Additionally, we hope to reach out to farmers throughout the country by building ties with Sustainable Agriculture Systems and interacting with several other organizations that currently engage in reforestation efforts within this region. As the population of cash poor subsistence farmers has grown, the once sustainable method of slash and burn farming has begun to degrade soils and destroy the country’s rich forest reserves.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Panama Project
Rio De Flag Project - AZ, USA - In Development
A small but very valuable project to reforest parts of the Rio De Flag river that passes through the town. Native Cotton-Wood trees have been selected and have been genetically finger printed, recorded and tagged for planting out, a very labor intensive operation. We aim to use this planting project as a long term research tool over the next fifty plus years to answer many smaller questions from carbon absorption and growth rates through to insect resilience and eco system data. The seedlings are being grown in green houses in Flagstaff with an estimated planting of under 800 fully documented trees.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Rio De Flag Project
Climate Change Project - AZ, USA - In Development
We are aiming to produce an interesting and important pilot project to highlight which trees are the future winners and losers, with a view to climate changes. For example the northern Boreal forests are being attacked by wood beetles usually held back and in check by more harsh and severe winters. One solution could be to introduce sympathetic tree types that not only can flourish in these extreme conditions but are also resilient to the wood beetles. Like the Rio De Flag Project it will hope to answer many smaller questions from carbon absorption and growth rates through to insect resilience and eco system impact data. The mission is to group climate change contenders within stands in various locations and hardiness zones to determine tomorrows trees for industry and sustainability.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Climate Change Trees Project
Navajo County Project - AZ, USA - In Development
Part reforestation, part pilot renewable lumber source, part beautification, part wind break, with our partners and the land-owner we aim to reforest a stretch of woodland in Navajo County, Arizona. We are interested in developing opportunities from the Paulownia tree. The flowers are colorful and beautiful in spring and the trees are green and shady in summer. The Paulownia Tree is therefore very suitable for beautifying and enriching the environment. The Tree re-grows from the stump after harvesting and represents an economically viable means of meeting growing world timber demands in a time of dwindling supply. The Tree is a fast growing deciduous hardwood. The timber is fire resistant, extremely light in both color and weight, yet very strong. Its growth traits make it an ideal candidate for reforestation projects throughout the world. Finally the leaves and flowers of the Paulownia are rich in nitrogen and therefore serve as good fertilizer and fodder.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the Navajo County Project
Tree of Education Project - AZ, USA - In Development
With the help of several interested parties within Arizona we are developing a scaleable pilot project to determine if school children can educationally benefit from the care and maintenance of trees on school grounds, teaching tree care, pruning, valuable uses and environmental benefits. We use trees for so many things we tend to take them for granted. From food to newspapers and magazines to doors and windows, bats and baskets to tables and chairs. A car can run on the wood alcohol produced from sustainably grown timber. The list is endless. Up to 500 different kinds of animals may depend on one oak tree for their survival. Humans have been adept at making other species extinct. Planting a tree helps to reduce or reverse this process. Our mission is to educate children to the fact that trees not only shade but also promote the restoration of wildlife habitats, improve water and air quality and enhance outdoor recreation areas, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
Help, Volunteer or Participate in the School Tree Management Project
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