Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Close Banner
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

Happy Arbor Day! Here's Why We Should All Be Tree Huggers This Year

Emma Loewe
Author:
April 26, 2019
Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
By Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us."
Image by Rialto Images / Stocksy
April 26, 2019

According to NASA's latest satellite data1, our world is only getting greener. That is, our tree cover is growing thanks to reforestation and better land management practices2.

However, NASA was quick to point out that the greenery gain occurring in the northern hemisphere thanks to frontrunners like China and India doesn't offset the rampant deforestation occurring in some parts of the tropics. While there are an estimated 3.04 trillion trees on the planet—about 422 for every human!—we're cutting down up to 15 billion a year to make way for infrastructure and agriculture, harvest materials like palm oil, and create consumer goods.

Trees do a whole lot more for humans than just provide some shade (though it turns out they do that even better than we initially thought). A single one can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, making them a key ally in fighting climate change, and entire forests protect the land from erosion and improve water and soil quality.

Beyond that, trees are just fascinating. While there's still a lot to learn about them, we know that trees can actually "speak" with each other thanks to an underground system of minerals and chemical reactions, sharing valuable nutrients and warnings of incoming threats. The oldest ones have been around for thousands of years, and science is now racing to preserve their knowledge by cloning old-growth forests threatened by climate change. Needless to say, the world could use a lot more tree huggers.

How you can help keep our green spaces alive and well this Arbor Day.

This year, The Arbor Day Foundation launched its most ambitious goal yet: The nonprofit will plant 100 million trees around the world, recruiting 5 million volunteers in the process, by 2022.

"If ever there was a time for planting trees, it's now," Dan Lambe, president of The Arbor Day Foundation, told a crowd of onlookers and corporate partners when announcing the initiative on New York's High Line last month. If all goes to plan, Time for Trees will remove 578,000 tons of chemical pollution from the air—enough to fill 70,000 Goodyear blimps. If you're in the U.S., head to their tree map to see planting events happening in your state.

If you don't want to get your hands dirty, consider donating to the cause instead. Give to The Arbor Day Foundation; check out TreeEra, a subscription service where paying $12/month will plant 100 trees in your name annually; or support apparel companies that are greening the Earth. At outdoor brand tentree, they plant 10 trees for every item sold (25 million so far!), while fashion brand Amour Vert puts a tree in the ground for every T-shirt sold.

We'll leaf it at that for now. Happy planting!

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

What Is Meditation?

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Light Watkins

Box Breathing

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

What Breathwork Can Address

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

Nutrition | Rich Roll

What to Eat Before a Workout

Nutrition | Rich Roll

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Nutrition | Sahara Rose

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Love Languages

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Related Videos (10)

What Is Meditation?

Box Breathing

What Breathwork Can Address

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

What to Eat Before a Workout

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love Languages

Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

More On This Topic

more Lifestyle
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.