PlanetWatch pledges to plant 1M trees starting with the “Stake for the Planet” initiative

It’s Earth Day! This date serves as a reminder that we must come together and act globally to protect our home.

According to a study from 2019 led by Crowther’s Lab in ETH Zürich, which analyzed satellite images of the world’s existing tree cover and combined it with climate and soil data, Earth could support nearly 1 billion hectares of additional forest (without encroaching on cropland or urban areas), i.e. roughly 1 trillion trees. 

Based on their estimates, these restored ecosystems could capture up to 200 billion tons of carbon, accounting for over one-sixth of human carbon emissions. 

That is why tree planting at a global scale can play an important role in tackling climate change. Forests are critical to the health of our planet: they sequester carbon, they regulate temperatures, they recharge groundwater, they prevent soil erosion and they conserve biodiversity.

We have already lost nearly half of the trees that used to exist on Earth before humans started taking them down to build settlements and grow food. Even though there is no way to bring back all those trees, we know now that at least 1 trillion can be restored.

This Earth Day, PlanetWatch is proud to announce its pledge to plant 1 million trees worldwide over the next 5 years as a contribution to the global movement around reforestation. The first step towards this goal is the “Stake for the Planet” initiative. We have created 1 billion PW:Forest tokens to symbolize this commitment as it takes 1,000 PW:Forest tokens to plant a tree in our forest.

We are aware that the climate crisis is extremely complex and requires a multitude of approaches. Planting trees is part of the solution but it is not enough by itself. Reducing fossil fuel burning and forest destruction remains essential. Only concerted action involving governments, companies and citizens can be effective long-term. 

🌱 Check out our landing page for this initiative 🌱

How can you take part?

1. Start by staking your PLANETS tokens on Algostake to get PW:Forest tokens in return.

2. Once you accumulate 1,000 PW:Forest tokens, you can exchange them for a tree in our forest, developed in partnership with Treedom.

3. Go to our brand new marketplace and collect a tree NFT.

4. In order to plant the actual tree, you need to get your tree redemption code/direct URL:
– during the buying process in the marketplace (you must be logged in)
– later under MyCollectibles section
Bear in mind that the moment you ask for your tree redemption code/direct URL, your NFT will get frozen. Before that you can gift it or trade it. 

5. Create your account on Treedom.net to redeem your tree. 

6. Follow the story of the project your tree belongs to through the updates that will be posted on the Tree Diary.

Which trees are planted in PlanetWatch’s forest?

Currently, PlanetWatch’s forest on Treedom comprises 1,000 trees of 12 different species across 3 different continents:

More about Treedom

Treedom allows anyone to plant a tree remotely as part of an agroforestry system. In agroforestry systems, trees are added to existing annual crops (like corn, beans, wheat, etc.), which form the basis for the livelihood of farming families. Integration with trees does not upset the crops, but offers farmers the opportunity to diversify their income, creating an ecosystem where the different species can lend each other a hand. This method has its roots in popular wisdom and is capable of doing good both for the climate and for the people.

Treedom projects aim to have a positive impact not only on the immediate environment that they act on, but also on the people who live there. For this reason, project areas are located in developing countries, where the benefits of trees can really make a difference.

Once planted in the ground, every single tree is photographed and geolocated to ensure the transparency and traceability of each project. These materials (photos and GPS coordinates) also serve to create the tree page for each user to follow the story of the project they are part of over time. Care and maintenance go well beyond planting.

On your user profile, you can find: 

• Your personal information (name, photo, number of trees and CO2 absorbed over 10 years)
• Map showing all your trees
• List of all your trees divided into owned trees, gifted trees, and followed trees
• Special badges, which are awarded based on your activity

On your tree page, you can find:

• Current weather conditions in the country of planting and day/night cycle
• Your tree’s background (which company planted it, which forest it belongs to and who received it as a gift)
• Your tree’s information (name – it’s customizable, geographical coordinates, birthdate, CO2 absorbed over 10 years, etc.)
• Tree Diary, which contains all the updates on your tree (stories and articles related to the project your tree belongs to, interviews with farmers or stories about their life, curiosities about the tree species and stories from Treedom’s forestry team while visiting projects)

Keep staking your PLANETS to help us grow a forest! 🌍