ATLANTA—Green Spa Network (GSN) announced its first annual Action Initiative, the GSN Tree Planting Initiative, in partnership with WeForest, to mobilize the spa and wellness industry to plant 1 million trees by Earth Day 2019. This effort is premised on the critical and urgent need to regenerate the Earth using trees’ natural abilities to reverse climate change.
Existing and new members of GSN are encouraged to pledge to contribute to this effort in any of three ways:
- Donate funds to plant new trees through the GSN-WeForest partnership;
- Organize or participate in a local tree planting event; or
- Continue an existing tree planting partnership.
However contributors choose to be involved, signing up with GSN allows the spa and wellness community to track its overall progress, rally around a common cause, and send a clear message that the industry cares to be recognized as a champion of environmentalism.
“Climate change can no longer be ignored, especially when solutions exist,” said Marie-Noelle Keijzer, CEO of WeForest. “WeForest is delighted to support GSN in its commitment to transform the spa industry into an actor of change. Delighting customers with trees planted as a result of their business is a simple gesture which will make a huge difference to the local communities that live around the forest we restore in Brazil and help make earth cooler.”
Supports Brazilian Atlantic Forest
GSN’s Tree Planting Initiative will contribute specifically to WeForest’s Brazil project to support the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Restoring the forest is extremely vital to safeguard the remaining biodiversity and combat the progressive loss of the world’s species and for our climate as well. The high carbon sequestration potential of second-growth forests in the Latin American tropics means the Atlantic Forest is a key player in the climate change agenda. This project aims to create forest corridors between remaining fragments, increasing tree cover and habitat connectivity for native species. The community-based nurseries, seed collection, and planting activities are under the management of local people who, thanks to this project, are empowered to earn a living while restoring the forest.
“Together with WeForest, GSN hopes to elevate tree planting to a global regeneration movement,” said Bonnie Baker, President of the GSN Board.
More information is available at the initiative website, GreenSpaNetwork.org/GSNPlantsTrees. GSN is using the hashtag #GSNPlantsTrees to follow the Network’s progress and stories.
