Posts within ‘Boots With Roots: Tree Planting’
Reflections on Service
The following post comes from Alan Jones, one of the Timberland service sabbatical recipients who spent a week in Louisiana last month working on a large-scale restoration project. Turns out, the project’s impact extends far beyond the wetlands where Alan and his companions worked:
Since returning from the sabbatical, friends and family have asked me to explain the experience and how it impacted me. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to express it in a way that does justice, and I don’t know if I ever will.
Imagine this:
Get off a plane and shake hands with 30 or so faces you’ve never met.
Spend the next 8 days and nights with these people in comfortable (but tight) quarters.
Meet locals and taste the flavor of an incredible culture deep in the Mississippi Delta and swamplands and learn that the fastest land erosion in the world is happening in your country and at the rate of 2 football fields every hour.
Learn that 40% of our fishing industry is supported by this eroding ecosystem, and that one small nonprofit has been given the green light by the government to make it better.
Spend the rest of the week working with a team to rebuild a 5-acre site that will protect another 20 acres of marshland from saltwater intrusion and land loss.
Learn that this project is the largest implementation of it’s kind, and if successful will serve as the pilot program and catalyst for future restoration efforts.
Connect to people and land in a way you did not think possible, then bid them farewell, knowing that although you knew them not for long, you knew them well.
Realize that, in addition to the thousands of trees and grasses planted in the bayou, there is something unexpected growing inside upon your return.
What did I take away from this sabbatical?
to plant.
to grow.
to laugh.
to live.
Spreading Cheer with the Gila River Indian Community
Timberland is a company steeped in tradition, embracing a bond with the outdoors and a commitment to giving back to the community. On December 8th, more than 100 employees had the good fortune to experience a heritage dating back more than 150 years when our community service event brought us to the Gila River Indian Community, which is home to the Pima and Maricopa tribes, to spread some holiday cheer.
We teamed up with the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa and Tribal Social Services to throw a fun-filled Christmas festival with nearly 300 children, decorating cookies, stockings and snowflakes, enjoying horseback rides and a trip to the Koli Equestrian Center, planting trees and snacking on holiday treats throughout – a natural crowd pleaser!
The gumdrop on top – a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus brought each boy and girl a special gift from their very own Christmas lists, while a special group from our team gave the Gila River Indian Community Orphanage a fresh coat of paint, landscaped the yards and assembled bicycles for all of its residents. What a Christmas surprise!
As a newbie to the Timberland team, it was amazing to be a part of such a special event where communities unite to kindle the Christmas spirit, bring smiles to children’s faces and feel the yuletide joy that can only come from Santa, his elves and a few cheery gingerbread men!
Serv-a-palooza India
On October 4th, Team Timberland in India celebrated our annual global service initiative Serv-a-palooza by creating a clean, healthy outdoor play space for the PIA Child Care Centre in Bangalore. The PIA Centre is located within the Peenya Industrial Area – one of the largest in Asia and home to more than 3500 companies and industries. The PIA Centre provides much-needed child care for many parents working within the industrial area.
Together with NGO partner Manav Charities, 35 volunteers spent the day cleaning and clearing the land around the PIA Centre; laying grass and planting trees and shrubs; and installing play equipment for the children.
Preparing the ground for grass
Volunteers laying grass
Planting outside the PIA Centre
New play area
Our thanks to Timberland India for making this outdoor space more useful and enjoyable for the families of the PIA Centre!
Sustainable Impact, Cajun Style
Timberland’s service sabbatical recipients Alan Jones and Heather Jackson shared the following from their week-long environmental restoration project in Louisiana. Our thanks to Alan and Heather for taking time out from their daily lives and duties to be a part of this powerful team and its inspiring results!
In Good Company 2011, courtesy of Anne Hamersky
Wow. We did it! Nearly 5 acres of dissolving beach transformed into a landscape of Gulf Saver Bags sprouting mangroves and spartina grass!
That’s five acres of restored wetlands that have the chance to spread and expand, reducing coastal erosion, mitigating hurricane storm surges, creating wildlife habitat, stabilizing shipping routes, and enhancing the economic and cultural life of Deep Delta Louisiana. Collectively, we have impacted the Gulf Coast in a powerfully positive way.
THANK YOU for your immense effort and thanks to all your respective companies for sponsoring you on this community service experience. May you all find inspiration in the incredible week we shared and continue to generate ripples of positive change in your communities.
- Anne Hamersky and the In Good Company planning team
30 Seconds to Mars Fans Give the Gift that Keeps on Growing
Musician / actor Jared Leto’s list of accomplishments runs long and impressive – appearing in films like Fight Club and American Psycho, starring in the TV series My So-Called Life, serving as lead singer for the band 30 Seconds to Mars. And now another achievement: next month, Jared turns 40!
In honor of his milestone birthday, the 30 Seconds to Mars fan club, The Echelon, is giving the gift that keeps on giving: the group is encouraging fans to make a donation in Jared’s honor to Trees for the Future in support of Timberland’s Yele Vert tree planting program in Haiti. (Jared lived in Haiti as a child, and is actively involved in the ongoing relief efforts in the wake of the country’s 2010 earthquake.) The tax deductible donation program runs until December 22. $1,300 has been donated by 30 Seconds to Mars fans since the October 21 launch of the campaign.
One of our favorite actor/singers and one of our favorite initiatives … we couldn’t imagine a better birthday present. To get in on Jared’s gift, visit the Echelon Donates website. To learn more about our Yele Vert reforestation program in Haiti, visit the tree planting section of our website.
Tree Planting in Bangladesh
Timberland’s Code of Conduct team works to ensure fair and safe working conditions inside the factories where our products are made, as well as positive living conditions beyond factory walls. In the course of their important work, they often uncover inspirational stories – like this one, which comes from a Timberland supplier in Bangladesh:
In July 2011, Timberland footwear supplier Bangladesh Pou Hung (BPH) launched a massive tree plantation initiative, called ‘Plant Trees and Save Environment.’ Under this initiative the BPH has already started to plant trees at its factory premises and all around the BEPZA trade zones (Bangladesh export processing zone authority).
BPH launched this tree planting initiative with the realization that tree planting is something positive for the environment that everyone can do; there’s no big budget to plant a tree, and its returns are valuable and sustainable.
We’re proud to partner with suppliers like Pou Hung that are committed to taking positive action for the environment, and inspiring others to do the same!
Tree Planting in Argentina
We’re excited to share the news about one of our newest tree planting initiatives, led by the Timberland team in Argentina. They’re on their way to planting 3,500 trees this year in San Martin de los Andes – a popular tourist destination, given its location beside Lacar Lake and at the foot of the Andes.
The Argentina project is just one in our portfolio of tree-planting initiatives, and takes us that much closer to reaching our goal of planting 5 million trees before 2015. For more information about Timberland’s commitment to reforestation in cities and countries all around the globe, visit our tree planting website.
Fan of Facebook? You can follow the tree planting progress in Argentina on their new Facebook page.
From City Streets to Desert Plains, Making our Difference
This week, we’re proud to share two blog stories of Timberland service — distinctly different in their physical locations, but undeniably similar in spirit and impact. The first comes from the blog of streetwear clothing company Next, a Timberland retail partner. Next joined us for our annual community service day in New York on September 9. In the blog post, Next blogger Steve talks about the tradition, and the impact, of the service day:
Every 9/11, I have the privilege of joining the folks from Timberland in a community service event. The past two years our “service team” focused our efforts on improving the environment of an elementary school in the Bronx. What started out as an abandoned field next to the school has slowly been transformed into a lush and productive garden. The formally cold and barren concrete school hallways have gradually become populated with colorful murals that the team has painted over the years.
View of the school-side garden and tool shed, courtesy of Rule of Next
Half a world (or so) away, travel blog Malaysia Asia highlighted Timberland’s ongoing reforestation efforts in the Horqin Desert in Inner Mongolia. Blogger Lilian Chua experienced firsthand what a Timberland tree-planting trip to the Horqin entails – from bumpy bus rides to beautiful landscapes. She shares:
Thanks to Timberland Malaysia, I had the great opportunity to join in their yearly Horqin Reforestation Project in Inner Mongolia. This trip was an unforgettable journey for me, from the tree planting activities to getting to know the myriad of beautiful people, the spectacular scenery which seems to be everywhere and of course the consumption of glorious local food!
Volunteers form a human chain to water newly-planted saplings in the Horqin Desert, courtesy of Malaysia Asia.
Our thanks to the folks at Next and Malaysia Asia for sharing their Timberland service experiences; we’re honored to be able to share our passion for community and environmental impact with such enthusiastic partners and volunteers! To read these blog posts in their entirety, please visit Rule of Next and Malaysia Asia.
Trees, Bicycles and Building Community
People are really hungry for genuine experiences of community that bring people together that they feel connect them to their neighbors.
- Paul Freedman, Founder, Rock the Bike
Part 5 of our Dig It documentary highlights the positive impacts of tree planting beyond health and environmental benefits; when trees grow, so does a sense of community.
Another good for community / good for the environment tool is also featured in this Dig It segment: the bicycle. Meet the founder of Rock the Bike, an organization created to help “bike people” spread enthusiasm and awareness for the environmental, health and cultural benefits of bicycles.
Dig It is a Timberland documentary focused on the positive impacts of tree planting and featuring community planting projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. To watch the Dig It documentary in its entirety and to learn more about Timberland’s tree planting commitments and projects, click here.
Tree Planting in India
Timberland India shared the following photo account of their first tree planting event held in Janakpuri, New Delhi last month. Over the course of the day, they planted 118 assorted palm trees and provided much needed greening for a neighborhood park.
We look forward to sharing more photos and tree planting stories as Timberland India works toward their tree planting goal: 1,200 trees by December 2011.
On July 31, TBL India launched its Tree Planting Program under the guidance of Peepal Baba (pictured above) from Janakpuri in New Delhi. Born as Prem Parivartan, Peepal Baba got his popular nickname from the type of tree he plants. He is a tree evangelist who started planting trees at the age of 10.
The park at Janakpuri
5 foot tall palms which will add to the green cover of Janakpuri Park
Ground being prepared
Trees arrive in eco-friendly transport
Volunteers get instruction from Peepal Baba on techniques of digging
Never too late to plant your first tree!
First tree planted by TBL India
... and soon many followed
Presenting nature's heroes
... and TBL India's evangelist
