Social and environmental responsibility are important to us at Washo. We are certified as a carbon-neutral company, which means that all of our CO2-emissions. But that's not enough for us: With Washo, we want to make a conscious contribution to the future of the world.
That's why, for every pack of Washo sold, we plant a tree with the non-profit environmental organization Tree-Nation. So far, we have already had the pleasure of planting over 15,000 trees - in just 4.5 months. Together, the trees offset 1700 tons of CO2-emissions. Just imagine: To produce this amount of carbon dioxide, you could fly from Zurich to New York and back 850 times.
This is precisely why trees are so valuable to the planet. They fulfill an important function in the fight against climate change. However, that's not all, trees are one of the pillars that humans need for their existence in many ways.
Washo engages with Tree-Nation
Washo is working with Tree-Nation to plant trees. When a customer buys a pack of Washo, they receive an email from Tree-Nation. On their website customers can look under Washo's profile to see what type of tree has been planted and what the environment looks like. It is also possible to comment: when the mangrove was planted for our customer A. R. was planted, she wrote: "Thank you very much for the tree. May it grow long and strong!"
The non-profit organization Tree-Nation was founded in 2006. It all started with a single project in Niger, one of the driest and poorest countries in the world. Since then, Tree-Nation has planted well over 10 million trees, saving nearly 1.5 billion CO2 offset. By comparison, Switzerland's 2019 CO2-emissions in the amount of 36.85 million tons. Nearly 7000 companies and over 300,000 citizens have participated since its inception 15 years ago.
How trees benefit us
Mental health and livelihood
Dive in and recover - so-called forest bathing has long been practiced in Japan. It has been proven that trees have a positive effect on us. While the forest is a recreational area for us, for many people in developing countries it means their livelihood. It provides food, drinking water and work equipment.
Water
Water means life, without water nothing would work. This is especially true in the world's largest cities: about one-third of metropolitan areas like New York depend on protected forest areas for their drinking water. In addition, trees are enormously important in preventing flooding: When rain falls, it is filtered by the roots of trees, slowing it down. The water can gradually be absorbed by the ground.
Air
Estimates say that an area of about 4000 square meters planted with trees produces the oxygen needs of twelve people during a year. At the same time, the trees absorb harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and ozone.
On a hot day, it is best to lie under a tree. This is because trees shed water droplets from their leaves, which evaporate, cooling the environment.
Animals
Trees are not only of great importance to humans, they also provide homes and food for wildlife. Only six percent of the world's land is covered by rainforest, but more than half of all animal and plant species live in it. The loss of a self-contained tropical rainforest would cause 100 species to become extinct every day. Not only mammals are in danger, but insects that are so important for pollination also like to live in trees.
Ground
The tsunami in 2004 showed it: Areas with intact mangroves were significantly less destroyed. Trees literally hold the soil together and protect it from erosion.
Tree photo created by wirestock - www.freepik.com