Good News! 10 Positive Environmental Stories from September 2021

For years, "forest school" programs have been popping up around the world as awareness has grown about the importance of nature play. It's no secret that kids need a healthy dose of nature to learn and thrive, and we're passionate about increasing access to quality environmental education through our School T.R.E.E.S. program. But if you need more scientific proof than the ear to ear grins kids get while playing and exploring in the great outdoors, there's a newly released study for that. Researchers have found that nature play is a highly effective way to embed STEM in early childhood education, with research showing that "regardless of ability, young children are ready, willing, and able to engage in STEM activities." Why is this study good news? Well, studies like this can help inform educators and policymakers as they work to allocate resources and develop educational programs. 

Yes, you read that right. A new study promises to give Africa’s mountain forests a leg up in the eyes of climate scientists. According to the authors, they store nearly 150 metric tons of carbon dioxide per hectare. And yes, hectare for hectare, that’s more than the Amazon Rainforest. The analysis, published inNature, looked at 225 plots of old-growth montane forests in 12 African nations, making it one of the most comprehensive surveys of its kind to date. Martin Sullivan, a co-author of the new study and ecologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, U.K., said “We hope that these new data will encourage carbon finance mechanisms towards avoideddeforestationin tropical mountains.”

As told by Kym Beechey, “The birds are normally far too quick for me to capture, so when I spied what I thought was a baby tawny frogmouth (an owl-like bird) sitting low on a limb, I was super excited. It wasn’t until I focused the photo and wondered why it wasn’t flying away that I realized it was, in fact, just a banksia pod. Just a cute, adorable banksia pod.” After a One Tree Planted analysis of Kym's photo, the verdict is in: baby bird it may not be, but truly it's an adorable sight to see!

Spanning from sidewalk to roof and covering the entrance to Annabel's in London is an installation teeming with ferns, florals and a flock of vibrant macaws. The world-famous private member's club Annabel's hosted the inaugural Annabel's for the Amazon, a huge drive to help save the Amazon Rainforest, hosted by the Caring Family Foundation in partnership with One Tree Planted. Through this event, The Caring Family Foundation and One Tree Planted aim to plant 1 million trees by March 2023 — restoring approximately 600 hectares of forest! 

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and in honor of the New England lives lost that day, we created a memorial garden at Gillette Stadium in partnership with the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution. On September 9th, a ceremony was held at the stadium to unveil the planting and launch the opening of two other exhibits for the 20th anniversary of 9/11: a display wall, and a memorial of steel from the World Trade Center.

In true New England fashion, this memorial garden was a team effort. As a country, we've had to unite over the last 20 years to heal from this experience. And like trees, we're stronger when we stand together. We hope that this 9/11 Memorial Tree Planting serves as a reminder of our collective strength in overcoming hardships. Not only will these trees be a living installation of resilience, they'll also provide hope and beauty to all those who visit the garden to remember the brave souls who endured this tragic event. 

A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology found that the use of large herbivores can be an effective means of preventing and mitigating wildfires— especially in places facing land abandonment due to socioeconomic conditions. When land is abandoned, it gradually becomes overgrown with bushes, and trees accumulate combustible plant material. This greatly increases wildfire risk and can trigger costly investment in increasing firefighting capacity. By allowing large herbivores to do what they do best, municipalities can replace much more costly solutions like firefighting or mechanical vegetation removal.

From heat stroke to asthma and more, climate change increases the risk of many health problems. Despite this, many medical schools haven't been teaching about the connections between climate change and health. Two students at the Emory University School of Medicine set out to change that. They worked together to study these connections, and developed a proposal to integrate climate change content into the standard course of study for first year medical students. Thanks to their hard work, Emory University approved their proposal, ensuring that tomorrow's physicians will be better prepared to practice medicine in awarming world!

And finally, September 28th kicked off our fourth annual Plant a Tree Day. In celebration, planting will take place through 60 events spread out over 1 month. From Uganda to Tennessee, Poland to Florida, in community parks and watersheds big and small, everyday people just like you are coming together to improve their local environments. Any time we get local communities together to plant trees, it's bound to be memorable, but each year we're inspired anew. From the dedication showed by our partners and volunteers to the scale of what we're able to accomplish together and the spirit of camaraderie that, without fail, imbues each event, Plant a Tree Day is a reaffirmation of why we do what we do.