Good News!

6 Positive Environmental
Stories from January 2023

Ariel Canie |  January 31, 2023 | 5 min read

5 Good Environmental News Stories from the Past Month that will Make You Smile 

The first month of the new year has already come to an end, and while you’ve been keeping yourself busy with your fitness, financial, or nutritional goals, positive environmental strides have been happening around the globe. We hope you’ll see these stories as a reminder to keep doing your part to protect the environment and continue working with us to plant trees in an effort to create a greener future for all.

Grab some healthy snacks and get ready to scroll; this year is already shaping up!

woman holding tree seedling india

2022 Impact: 52 Million Trees Planted Across The Globe

In the face of challenging social, political, economic and environmental realities, 2022 was a year that required resilience and innovation in the reforestation space. Through it all, One Tree Planted persevered and focused on what we do best: planting trees! Together with our incredible network of global planting partners (463 and growing!), we planted 52,793,657 trees through 327 impactful projects in 74 countries around the world! We're so proud to continue our journey of incredible growth every year by planting over 2x the trees we did in 2021. That said, it's the individual stories, the years long partnerships that, when the days are long and the obstacles many, warm our hearts and strengthen our resolve to continue our work planting trees and growing forests around the world.

earth's ozone layer from space

Earth’s ozone layer is being restored

Based on extensive studies and research conducted by top international experts, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) recently reported that the Earth’s ozone layer is currently on track to recover within four decades, largely thanks to the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali amendment. The Montreal Protocol is a global agreement to protect Earth’s ozone by phasing out the chemicals that deplete it, while the Kigali Amendment (introduced in 2016) aims to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are known to be potent greenhouse gases. 

old growth forest

A new conservancy will protect an endangered B.C. rainforest

Known as one of B.C.’s greatest treasures, the endangered rainforest within Incomappleux Valley will now be protected by a new 58,000 hectare conservancy that will prevent logging, mining and hydroelectric development in the northern three-quarters of the valley. With less than 5% of Canada’s inland temperate rainforest remaining, this conservancy aims to protect the unique forest ecosystem as well as the many at-risk species and old-growth trees that depend on it for survival.

single-use plastic cutlery

France’s single-use plastic ban has officially started 

Over 6 billion fast-food meals are served each year in France, creating about 2 million tonnes of waste annually. As of January 1st, the country is prohibiting fast-food restaurants from offering single-use plastic boxes and cutlery. Eco-friendly options such as paper wrappers and reusable containers will help restaurants adjust to the new ban. This single-use plastic ban follows the ban France put in place last year that prohibits plastic packaging for 30 types of fruits and vegetables. 

red squirrel eating

England introduced a new rewilding site

Heal Somerset, England’s newest £5.25m rewilding site aims to tackle the climate crisis while protecting nature, growing food and creating job opportunities. Founded during the pandemic, rewilding charity Heal was born out of a need to help recover England’s nature and improve the livelihoods of local communities. Heal is working to establish recovery sites in all 48 English counties by the year 2050. 

plastic bottle in ocean

Solar-powered robots will clean up Argentina’s waterways

La Plata National University and waste management company Recyclamar Pampa Argentina collaborated to create solar-powered robots designed to clean up Argentina’s waterways. The robots will be deployed in ports, rivers and lagoons and will be able to clean up microplastics, bags, bottles and even floating hydrocarbons that are up to 16 inches below the surface. With plastic pollution being a major issue in Argentina, these robots might just be the answer to the Argentina’s battle against plastic. 

We hope that you enjoyed reading January’s good news stories as much as we enjoyed featuring them! Remember, you can make a positive impact across the globe by donating to one of our planting projects.

Longleaf Pine Main Image
Longleaf Pine Restoration
Longleaf Pine Tree Planter
Plant Trees Where They're Needed Most
Longleaf Pine Landscape
Longleaf Pine Planting
Longleaf Pine Main Image
Longleaf Pine Restoration
Longleaf Pine Tree Planter
Plant Trees Where They're Needed Most
Longleaf Pine Landscape
Longleaf Pine Planting

Plant Trees Where They're Needed Most

As the need for reforestation is global and ever-changing, we feature where trees are most needed now. This project is currently supporting Longleaf Pine Restoration. Learn more

With your help, we will:

  • Protect wildlife habitat and increase biodiversity
  • Restore essential watersheds for soil stability and erosion control
  • Sequester carbon in the biomass of the forests through climate stability
  • Longleaf pine forests are among the most biodiverse in North America and provide habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species. Longleaf pine forests are well-adapted to a warming climate as longleaf pine is a resilient species that is fire-dependent, drought-tolerant, and long-lived. Reforestation of longleaf pine ecosystems- to increase, maintain, and enhance the species- has been identified as a priority area within America's Longleaf Range Wide Conservation Plan. 🌲
  • Our longleaf pine reforestation project will restore habitats, control soil erosion, and sequester carbon in an effort to stabilize the climate in the area. Not only will wildlife benefit from the clean air and water provided by the planted trees, but the surrounding community will, too. This project will work with a variety of landowners whose responsible forest management and stewardship will only further increase the benefits for species residing on the lands. Some of the most notable species that will benefit from habitat restoration include gopher tortoises, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and eastern indigo snakes
  • A personalized tree certificate (see gallery) to say thanks for your donation. We'll also send you updates about our Longleaf Pine Restoration project, so you can track the impact your trees are having on the ground!
  • We always plant a mix of diverse, native species from local nurseries. This project is working to replenish longleaf forests, so the native species grown in the nurseries will mainly be longleaf pine, but also include shortleaf pine and loblolly pine.

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