Each Friday, the another jennifer blog shares stories of those who incorporate philanthropy into their everyday lives – personally and professionally – in a creative and unique way. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact Jennifer. You can view past posts from the series here.
A baby tree planted by Trees for a Change.
“Our mission at Trees for a Change is to provide thoughtful, meaningful gifts that live on to restore devastated forest land.”
Trees for a Change is an organization that dedicates trees as gifts in U.S. National Forests that have been destroyed by wildfire.
The company was founded about six years ago when Kim Isley became sick of all the “stuff” that was being promoted as gifts around the holidays. Kim wanted to do something that focused on making things better, not just producing more products that would eventually end up in a landfill.
Kim, founder and “tree lover-in-chief” at Trees for a Change, had read over and over again that planting a tree is one of the best things you can do for the planet.
Kim started Trees for a Change as a way for people to change the way they think about giving gifts. You can read more of Kim’s story and the company’s values here.
Trees for a Change plants trees for many occasions, including birthdays, weddings, holidays, fundraisers and even pet memorials. In fact, as Kim and I exchanged emails about her company, she read my post about saying goodbye to Kona and offered to plant a tree in his name.
When you purchase a tree as a gift for someone, a certificate is created with his or her name on it. You can even find your tree on the website and see where it was planted and how it will help the environment. They work directly with the U.S. National Forest Service to plant the trees.
Kona’s certificate. You can see his photo on the pet memorial page.
Kona’s tree, a longleaf pine, will be planted in the Blackwater River State Forest in the Florida Panhandle region.
To date, almost 10,000 trees have been planted by Trees for a Change in five different forests. Kim’s favorite part of her job is visiting the baby trees right after they are planted and taking photos.
With options as low as $15, Trees for a Change can help you find an affordable and unique gift that will also restore a forest. Not a bad deal.
Will you give a tree as a gift this holiday season?
this post was also published on pplkind.com
Ilene says
November 15, 2013 at 6:30 amLove this idea. I have bought trees in Israel for people my entire life. I think it’s great that you can do this in t he US and help restore one of our national forests. Great work as always, Jen!
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:27 pmThat’s awesome, Ilene. I love how they are partnered with the US National Forest so you know the trees are planted where they are truly needed.
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Alexa says
November 15, 2013 at 8:13 amAhh, so sweet, the Kona tree! I am a tree hugger myself. SOmething tells me someone is getting a tree for Christmas this year!
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:28 pmI think it’s a great gift idea, particularly for those tree huggers you don’t know what to buy for. 🙂
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The Dose of Reality says
November 15, 2013 at 9:04 amI love, love, love this idea. The link with all the pets made me tear up. I am going to talk to my family about doing this for our cat this weekend. I think it’s lovely!! –Lisa
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:29 pmI think that’s a great idea, Lisa. That way you really feel like you are honoring your lost pet in a way that will help the environment. Win-win!
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Tamara says
November 15, 2013 at 9:39 amThis is so cool! As Ilene mentioned, I remember a relative buying a tree for me out in Israel. l like to think about it.
What an awesome idea. I want to buy Cassidy a tree in Alaska! I’m going to have to investigate if that is on their list of places they do this..
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:32 pmI’m not sure if you get to choose the location. I think it just goes by where the US National Forest is restoring trees next. How cool if you could plant one in Alaska though!
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Ashlee says
November 15, 2013 at 11:33 amYou find the best companies for Philanthropy Friday. I love this idea! I got into photography a while back and trees were my favorite thing to capture, with or without the leaves. The way the branches form in all sorts of variety are truly beautiful. I used to lay under trees and take a million pictures.
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:34 pmTrees are just amazing, aren’t they? I’m also a sucker for good tree photography. I kind of like the ones without leaves.
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Kim says
November 15, 2013 at 12:14 pmHooray! Thank you so much for this beautiful post, Jen! I love what I do, and I consider it an honor to be able to connect people to the earth by planting trees. We really, really appreciate the tree love you’ve put out there with this Philanthropy Friday post. 🙂
anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:35 pmMy pleasure, Kim. I’m so glad you reached out to me. And I am truly thankful for the tree you’ve planted for Kona. It really means a lot!
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Joi @ Rx Fitness Lady says
November 15, 2013 at 4:15 pmWow, what a purposeful gift! Great company!
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:36 pmI agree, Joi. It’s a great business model.
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Charmaine says
November 16, 2013 at 8:39 amOooh I like this one – simple, but meaningful! Will def be checking them out – thanks!
anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:40 pmMy pleasure, Charmaine. It’s a great company!
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Manhattan Image and Style says
November 16, 2013 at 2:32 pmThis is great! I would def give a tree as a gift. My family and I are nature lovers and I know they would love the idea too! 🙂 Great post!
Feel free to visit my blog as well if you wish! <3
Diana
http://www.ManhattanImageandStyle.com
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:53 pmThanks, Diana. This is the perfect gift for a nature lover!
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Cyndi says
November 17, 2013 at 4:29 pmI love this concept. I’ve been known to donate to Arbor Day and have trees planted in my family members’ names at Christmas. This is awesome, too! I just love your ideas about giving back – seriously!
And…grrr…Akismet has been sending some of my regular commenters to spam. I found one of yours and perhaps that’s why some of them have been disappearing. I don’t always check the spam folder. Dang. Ah, technology.
Anyways, planting a tree only HELPS everything: the planet, the air quality, the scenery and helps good memories to grow. Love it! 🙂
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anotherjennifer says
November 17, 2013 at 4:55 pmTrees for a Change sounds perfect for you, Cyndi!
I get so many spam comments that I fear I miss some of mine as well. I try to check, but it’s hard to keep up!
Chris Carter says
November 19, 2013 at 1:50 pmWhat a BRILLIANT idea!!! I love her perspective behind this idea- gotta share!
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anotherjennifer says
November 19, 2013 at 9:30 pmThanks, Chris. I was inspired by Kim’s passion for what she does.
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