An Earth Day Assignment: Donations for Trees

My cousin just kindly reminded me that today is Earth Day (of course, so did Google, with it's very cute interactive logo - in Canada, you can make the panda laugh and the salmon swim up the stream before it gets eaten by the grizzly bear).

His ulterior motive for the reminder: He wants to donate, but doesn't know where to begin. The criteria: an organization that takes donations with a low overhead percentage; an organization that will plant a tree for donations.

I told him I'd take up the hunt, since it fits my blog theme and purpose, and I'd also share my process, in the proverbial teaching-a-man-to-fish way.

1. First, there's always Google. American Forests allows donations to plant trees where they are needed most, and for specific causes (see the drop-down menu). According to the second option, every dollar donated plants one tree. Each option has a brief description of the project. Their 2007 report, found here, states that they give grants to 35 partners to restore forest ecosystems by planting millions of trees. They do other neat things, too, but my guess would be the "tree donation" money goes to the grants. So not only do you know that your money is going to tree-planting, you know specifically for which project the tree will be planted. If you're worried about your rights as a donor, look here for their Donor Bill of Rights.

2. Here's another option (that doesn't necessarily fit the criteria but might be interesting nonetheless): Volunteer to plant trees in your area. Like Denver. If you plant a tree by yourself, instead of with the Mile High Million (see previous link), you can still register your tree, and make it count towards the million trees that make up the organization's goal. An organization that includes tree planting as part of a different range of activities is Boulder Mountainbike Alliance.

3. Googling a "city" with "tree planting charities" leads to an interesting notion - look up charities in the local yellow pages or online equivalent, and contact a local tree-planting organization. I know Washington, D.C. hosts an organization called Casey Trees, where volunteers plant trees in the city, to restore the city's tree canopy. They gratefully accept donations, and although unlike American Forests, do not plant specific trees for your donation, you will know that your money supports tree-planting. You can also donate a large amount ($550) to have a commemorative tree planted specially.

In Canada, you can donate to Tree Canada, where you can designate which program you want your money to assist, and Trees Ontario, where your donation will support the tree-planting infrastructure. With the second, your money may not be used specifically for planting a tree, but you'll know you're supporting tree-planting in general, and it won't be difficult to imagine that special tree your money planted.

To conclude, the first option is probably easiest, with the others requiring slightly more investigation and hands-on action, but they're all viable options for donating trees and money for tree-planting. It should go without saying that the closer you are to the tree-planting or the organization that is doing the planting, the more input and feedback you'll have about what your money achieved.