Trees & Bees
You are probably reading this because you have received a tree planting seed token… we hope that you love it!
Thank you for visiting us to learn more about the tree that has been planted for you and the bees you could be helping to feed.

Each Tree Helps…
Your tree has been planted in an area of mass-deforestation, through our wonderful partners Eden Reforestation Projects, in either Haiti, Indonesia, Madagascar or Nepal. Your tree is playing its part in creating a better world for:

People
Unemployment and poverty are common in areas hit by mass deforestation, where there are also many cases of debt slavery. Local people are hired to plant trees and manage planting projects – they receive a good income so they can provide for themselves and their families.

Animals
Reforesting barren land is great news for our animal friends who call the forest their home. As new trees are planted and mature into new forests, wildlife starts to return and thrive again.
Eden has partnered with national parks helping to restore surrounding forests and create natural buffer zones for endangered species.

Water
Trees do magical things when it comes to water – root systems help to purify it and decrease the risk of flooding. Through mass-deforestation, land is often left barren and there is nothing left for the soil and water to ‘hold onto’. When you reintroduce trees to the area, you allow rain water to penetrate the soil rather than eroding it away.
Forest canopies help to regulate rainfall and air mositure levels which play an important role in the water cycle and reducing desertification; simply speaking, forests help to keep moisture in the environment!

Food
With flooding and soil erosion, crops begin to fail and locals have no means to farm their own food. After planting new trees, the soil is able to hold water and returns to having a symbiotic relationship with the nature that flourishes around it.
Agroforestry is another area where these trees are making a huge difference to the community. The surrounding soils become more fertile and crop yields increase providing more food for people and boosting the local economy.

Our Home
Everything is connected and this is something we’re discovering more and more as climate change is evolving. What happens in one part of the world has a direct effect on others who share a different part of the planet.
Trees remove CO2 from the atmosphere and turn it into much needed oxygen. By reintroducing forests back to areas where humankind has destroyed them, we can drastically reduce greenhouse gases and help to reverse climate change.
Flowers for Bees…
Your seed token is packed with bee-friendly flower seeds (Sweet Alyssum, Baby’s Breath, Basil, Poppy, Black Eyed Susan & Marigold). We chose these flowers as they’re non-invasive but to be extra careful, we advise you NOT to plant them out in nature. Eco systems are fragile and the less we introduce to them without being properly trained, the better. Your flowers will be perfect for window and garden settings.

Why Bees?
Bees are a keystone species (who pollinate our food supply) so without them, our ecosystem will become dramatically different or cease to exist altogether. Have you heard about the declining bee numbers and what a disaster this is for them and us?

Towns and cities are becoming less bee-friendly; flower filled spaces are being taken over by driveways and low maintenance gardens. We each need to play our part in helping our bee friends and other pollinating insects by planting as many flowers as we can!
What Else Can We Do?

Bee-Safe Spaces
No matter how big or small your space, you can create a haven for bees. A garden, a window ledge, a hanging basket or just a single pot can hold treats for our pollinators. There are a tonne of bee-friendly plants you can grow from flowers, fruit and veg, even trees! Bees love variety

Let it Grow
What’s in a name? Most flowers which we consider ‘weeds’ are actually wildflowers which are perfect for feeding bees.
Pristine lawns may look nicer to some but if you want to make your garden safe for bees, put down those herbicides and pesticides. Chemicals on our gardens are especially dangerous during flowering as they will get into pollen and nectar which the bees then take back their hives.

Watering Holes
The average bee flies to 50-100 flowers per trip to collect their pollen. They fly great distances which is all tiring work! Providing water, especially during hotter periods can act as a life saver for some bees. A small dish or bird bath is all that’s needed to be a bee saviour!

Choose Organic
The pesticides used in modern farming have been shown to play a huge part in our declining bee populations. Vote with your money and show farmers that we want to work with nature and move towards a more organic world.
If you think that organic produce is too expensive, consider the fact that on average we waste 30% of our food. Now you can feed two birds with one scone by reducing your food waste and using these savings on organic produce.
Every Little Helps…
There are so many things we can do to help the environment; from writing to our governments and petitioning for better eco policies, to reducing/eliminating our use of animal products, to choosing natural cleaning products – the list goes on.
If we each take a little time to learn new ways to become more eco-conscious, we can really reverse the damage we have done to the world.

You were given a 1 Tree Cards seed token because either you or somebody who cares for you also cares for the environment in which we all live in. Despite (and maybe as a result of) all the depressing news surrounding pollution, the world is waking up and there is hope for the future.
Thanks for being the reason for another tree being planted!
