LIFE Terra - 500 millon trees to mitigate climate change

LIFE Terra - 500 million trees to mitigate climate change

• ¿What is LIFE Terra?

LIFE Terra is the largest citizen-driven initiative in Europe with the goal of planting and monitoring 500 million trees to mitigate climate change.

This European project will contribute to capturing 100 million tonnes of CO2 (t CO2 eq.), restoring biodiversity and creating green areas for a climate-resilient Europe.

The project includes environmental and educational activities, helping create an environmentally conscious society to foster local and sustainable economies.

This first Verkami campaign will give us the financial support needed to achieve our first goal of planting 1,000 trees.

• What do we want to do?

1. Educate in sustainability

In LIFE Terra we are preparing an environmental education programme for children and young people to learn in a didactic and holistic way about the importance of the natural environment and sustainability. Our programme includes, among other topics:

It will be a unique opportunity to learn about nature through direct experiences, generating a high-quality learning process and positive memories for a lifetime.

LIFE Terra will also train young volunteers to become Terra Leaders, who will support us in the coordination of planting events and thus expand their experience and skills in environmental action and leadership. Such skills and knowledge are considered essential in today's society.

Our educational strategy, therefore, will train present and future generations to lead the environmental movement, driving us towards a more sustainable world, less vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

2. Plant trees

We will organize participatory tree planting events to reforest areas damaged by deforestation and fires, and recreate green areas in abandoned land. These events will be the perfect meeting opportunity promoting cooperation, citizen-driven action and social cohesion.

Our well-coordinated local actions will generate global impacts. As the project progresses, we will expand our planting activities all over Spain. Our partners in Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany will start planting trees in the coming months, thus expanding our impact in these and other countries.

3. Monitor with innovative technology

We want to generate a positive impact that is sustained over time. By developing innovative technologies we will be able to monitor our trees from an online platform and an App, thus ensuring tree survival and long-term health.

All LIFE Terra trees will be geolocated , so that their “owners”, you, will be able to observe their evolution and contribution to the mitigation of climate change, thanks to calculations of absorbed CO2.

For this, we will use state-of-the-art monitoring technologies such as satellites, GPS devices, drones, to calculate vegetation indices that indicate plant growth and forest health.

Why is all this necessary?

Now more than ever it is clear that protecting nature and biodiversity is essential for our own survival. Sustainable development cannot exist if the integrity and health of ecosystems are not taken into account. Crises such as the pandemic caused by Covid-19 can occur again if we don't work together for, and with nature.

The European Union has set the target of zero net emissions by 2050. This means that we must minimize and offset our CO2 emissions to achieve carbon neutrality, that is, remove as much or more carbon from the atmosphere than what we emit. Capturing CO2 using trees is a key strategy to generate cleaner air while simultaneously creating ecosystems and communities resilient to climate change.

• How are we going to do it?

Our strategy is based on solidarity, citizen cooperation and respect for nature. We know that planting trees will benefit natural ecosystems while stimulating environmental awareness, social cohesion and local economies, thus generating all sorts of benefits in the short, medium and long term.

Rewards

By supporting our project, you will help mitigate climate change by capturing CO2. And you will have your own certificate which proves it!. Also, when our platform is ready (end 2020) you will be able to monitor your own trees from home and follow their evolution and growth.

With your contribution, you can also get LIFE Terra t-shirts made from organic cotton that you can wear to share and further extend your commitment to the planet. Here you can see a preliminary design:

Remember that LIFE Terra is a European project of international scope and global impact. The European Commission, through its LIFE programme, will closely monitor its progress and acknowledge all its contributors. Participating in LIFE Terra is a unique opportunity to give visibility to your association, NGO, public administration or private company showing your environmental commitment and contribution to CO2 removal to your community. This is something highly valued by all sorts of users and consumers.

Who we are

Behind LIFE Terra there is a group of individuals and entities driven by the environment. Our team, composed by NGOs, universities and research centres, private companies, communication and education agencies, etc, works for the protection and enhancement of natural ecosystems.

Although we have the support of 14 partners in various European countries, the first planting events will be organized by Volterra Ecosystems and Land Life Company.

The founders of LIFE Terra have already planted over a million trees in previous projects but we know this is not enough. For this reason, we have a new, bold goal of planting 500 million trees in just 5 years, the largest citizen-driven initiative against climate change to date.

We are aware that the current climate crisis is a global challenge that we must face together, we cannot do it alone. This is a collaborative initiative for the benefit of all, and now you can also be a part of it.

We need you, here and now.

How will we use your contributions?

All this requires a great effort. Tools, seedlings, fieldwork as well as perfect coordination and logistics. Our educational program requires professionals for its preparation and execution. In addition, the necessary technology and equipment (GPS, web development, App, etc.) have a high cost due to their complexity.

The European Commission believes in us and through the LIFE programme they will cover some, but not all of these costs.

That's why we need your help.

Plant your seed, each tree contributes to a sustainable future for nature and people.

Calendar

We will start with the first trees in Autumn 2020 and continue planting for the next 5 years.

After finishing the Verkami campaign, we will prepare your certificates which you will receive in mid-July 2020. The honourable mention for your participation will appear on LIFE Terra website after the end of the campaign.

LIFE Terra T-shirts will be ready at the end of the year, in December 2020, and you will receive them at your address without shipping costs (Spanish peninsula). You can also collect them at our office in Barcelona (with prior notice), or during one of our planting events!

The largest contributors will receive an honourable invitation as we organise the next planting events. We will notify you when we have finalized communication materials (videos, publications on our website and networks, etc.) in which you will appear as contributors or main sponsors.

+ Info

Our website is under development. Very soon you will find all our events, activities, and results!

Follow us on social media: Twitter and Facebook.

If you want to know more about the team behind LIFE Terra and all our environmental projects, find us at Volterra and Land Life Company.

Follow us also on Twitter-Volterra y Twitter-LLC.